Bloody Amnesia
by xRedxMoonx
Summary: Being a runner comes with a price; she knew that far too well, they all did. Yet, her death left a significant hollow in the Glade. No one would've ever expected her to show up in the Box, safe and sound, and with a troublesome Greenie at her feet. Things will turn out to be even more confusing, as even though her body is there, her most beloved memories are gone. [2/4]
1. Forgetting

This is a short prologue, chapters will be longer as the story advances.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own TMR or any of its characters. However, I do own my OC, Rachel.

* * *

**CHAPTER ONE:**

Forgetting

* * *

A constant, intense alarm had broken out in the chamber and was soon followed by the agitated sound of footsteps. The young girl ―she was seventeen at most― managed to push her way between some of the _scientists_ and stormed out, her footsteps pealing throughout the bright hallway. The shouts didn't stop as they ran after her and tried to get a hold of the red-haired female, to no avail.

The muscles of her legs burned in weariness, but she increased her pace as adrenaline rushed down her veins and sweat began to cover her pale features. Her green eyes scanned the surroundings as she roamed the passages, but there was nothing but wide walls and cracked tubing. However, she told herself not to stop, to keep running, no matter the circumstances; she was not allowed to give up just yet. Not when she was so close to accomplishing her goal. She had to go back to _them_, to her family. She needed to tell them the truth, to soothe their weary hearts.

Even though that would mean returning to the Maze and facing the constant danger and the feeling of being trapped once again.

The girl stopped dead in her tracks after rounding the last corner. A metal door stood blocking the way, large enough for two people to walk through at the same time and manage not to even brush against one another. For a minute, she hesitated. If there were people inside that room, her attempts to escape that place would turn out to be useless. And when that possibility crossed her mind, she almost took a step back. The girl wasn't sure if she was ready to face the unknown danger that could be waiting for her at the other side of that door. Fortunately or not, her hesitation faded away when the voices of her captors echoed behind her, louder than ever, signaling that they were getting closer.

Out of habit, the red-haired girl bit her lip before placing both hands on the door and pushing. Much to her suprise, nothing but an impenetrable darkness greeted her. Her lips pursed into a curious, suspicious frown, and she took a cautelous step forward. Nothing happened; no light illuminated the room, and no sound alerted her of the presence of any soul. After coming to the conclusion that she was, indeed, alone, the young girl began to walk forward. She didn't think, not even for a minute, that she was walking straight into their hands, until the floor disappeared, and she found herself falling into the darkest of abysms.

-#-

A surprised scream echoed throughout the dark room ―or cell―, and Thomas could only groan in pain when something landed straight on him. His face slammed on the hard ground as his body collided with it, and soon enough, the iron flavor of the blood flooded his mouth.

"Bloody hell," the _something_ muttered.

It was then that he realized what he thought to be something was, in fact_, someone_. A girl, to be exact.

She rolled over and stood up from his back, one of her hands clutching her aching head as she did. Then, she glanced around, as though she were trying to figure out where she was, before Thomas came into her sight. The boy was sprawled across the ground of the cell, and his eyes were staring at her as if she had grown three heads. Upon noticing him, realization crashed on her, letting her know that she had finally achieved the first part of her plan.

A slight smirk formed on her lips as she stared down at Thomas, hands placed confidently on her hips.

"Morning, Greenie," she spoke calmly, and her voice echoed throughout the cell, cutting across the silence that had enveloped Thomas since he had woken up. "Name's Riley."

Thomas didn't know what to say and merely continued to stare in utter astonishment at her. Apparently, that wasn't the response Riley was expecting, for she rolled her eyes, and a displeased expression spread across her furrowed features.

"Of all the shanks I could run into, it had to be a bloody thicko."

Her British accent was strong, and the harshness in her words was enough to snap Thomas out of his stupor. He glared at the girl, but didn't make an attempt to stand up. The room he was in was moving fast and loudly; he didn't want to make a fool out of himself by stumbling and falling over. Besides, Riley didn't need to be given more reasons to insult him; she had already made a good first impression.

"Thomas," he finally said, causing a grin to creep on her face.

-#-

Chancellor Ava Paige watched closely the situation before her. The screen showed two people; a boy and a girl. Both of them were very well known in the agency, WICKED, each of them for different reasons that were thoughfully explained in their respective files. Gaze not wavering from the screen, the old woman tapped her chin and listened to the conversation happening between two of their most valuable subjects. Truth be told, the news regarding Riley's getaway had taken the Chancellor by complete surprise, and she hadn't stopped shouting at everyone nearby until the girl had been finally found by one of their surveillance cameras.

"We managed to insert a serum in her system," someone informed from behind, to which Ava Paige smirked evilly.

Crossing her arms over her chest, the blond-haired Chancellor turned on her heels and walked over to her usual chair.

"We've done everything that was in our hands, then."

The man who had given the news to her, Dr. Norman, approached, a slight frown drawn on his face.

"If you'll excuse my curiosity, wouldn't it be best if we took her back?"

Ava Paige furrowed her brows for a second, as though she were pondering the answer. Glancing over to the screen in front of her, she finally gave the scientist the reply he was waiting for.

"She will have an important role. They will see her as the portrait of hope, expectation. However, she will also raise distrust among the community, especially when they discover about her _little_ amnesia."

-#-

Riley was having problems trying to deal with Thomas' anxious movements. He was sitting on the ground, his brown eyes glancing around frenetically. With every cracking noise the cell made, he would tense even more.

"Will you shucking stop?!" she finally snapped, her hands running through her long, red hair as she tried to focus.

She couldn't help but think something was _very_ wrong. An uneasy feeling had settled on the pit of her stomach, and confusion was growing so fast inside her it was beginning to drag another emotion to her mind: panic. As Riley mentally shook her head, she tried to put her thoughts back in order, to focus on the real reason she was there.

But..

Where was _there_?

_"If you ever try to escape, I'll make sure you will forget everything about the Maze,"_ Dr. Norman's voice seemed to echo in her mind as she suddenly remembered their last encounter.

Her eyes looked around frantically, only to be greeted by boxes and tubes. Taking deep breaths in order to calm herself, Riley ignored the frenetic movements of Thomas as he attempted to grip onto something that could help him keep his stance.

Riley massaged her temples, before she suddenly realized something. She was in the Box, which was increasing its speed, and that only meant they were reaching their destination: the Glade. But, it was not possible. The last thing she remembered was… falling. Her eyebrows furrowed as she thought about that; the sensation of falling was clear to her, yet she couldn't figure out where she was when it happened. And, at the same time, the girl couldn't begin to understand how come she was back in the Box; it just didn't make any sense.

_"You will also forget everything about us,"_ Paige had warned.

From her point of view, with no memories at all about the previous events, she had been put in the Box by someone who obviously wasn't any of the Gladers, or else she would be hearing them bragging about having rescued her.

Suddenly, the room came to a halt, consequently stopping her trail of thoughts, before a metallic sound reached her ears. Bright light flooded the cell and glared into her confused, green eyes. For the first time ever, Thomas was quiet next to her, but Riley was paying him no attention at all; she was focused on something else. Familiar voices could be heard as the Gladers talked from above them. Riley squinted through the intense light in order to catch a glimpse of someone or something, which soon proved to be a pointless attempt.

"I can't believe this," someone muttered after some seconds of sudden silence.

Whispers followed then, too many of them to get anything clear.

"Isn't she-"

"No shucking way!"

"Who is it?"

"A girl?"

"But, isn't she-"

Again, after some noisy seconds, silence crashed upon the Glade. However, Riley couldn't bring herself to give a shit about the shock spreading across the Gladers upon seeing her; she was way too immersed into her own concerns. For some reason, she felt like her mind was being absorbed; her memories were leaving her and being replaced by an empty, cold hole.

"Newt!" Someone shouted.

A name.

But it wasn't just a name to Riley, considering the amount of feelings that came with its remembrance. However, the more she thought about him, the less she could picture his face in her mind. His chocolate brown eyes became dull, until they were nothing but blank holes in the face of someone who once meant the world to her.

Someone jumped down from the world that spread above her head and landed directly in front of her, which caused her to immediately drift her attention towards them. A young boy was staring at her, disbelief danced in his _chocolate_ _brown_ gaze, as if he couldn't believe his eyes. She scanned his dirty features, from his blond locks to his thin lips. There was something so familiar about him, something she couldn't quite grasp in her mind.

_"And, just for good measure, you will forget everything about him."_

An expression of utter desolation and panic crossed his face, and the shadow of distress covered his eyes when she frowned and asked,

"Who are you?"

* * *

**EDITED: 10/07/2016**


	2. Confusion

**CHAPTER TWO:**

Confusion

* * *

To be honest, the girl didn't know for how long she stood there, staring directly into those familiar –yet unknown– eyes. It could have been either two seconds, or two hours, until suddenly, a tan boy jumped into the Box. The motion caught her gaze, and she tore her green eyes away from the blond.

Alby's features were furrowed as he watched her with scrutinizing eyes, as though he didn't know whether she was an illusion, or not. Just as she remembered his defensive stance to be, his arms were crossed across his toned chest, and there was a noticeable glint of suspicion gleaming in his eyes.

"What's your name, girl?" His voice cut across the tense silence, managing to snap Newt out of his stupor.

Even though Riley could feel his brown gaze on her the whole time, and it was starting to make her uneasy, she did her best to ignore the boy and mimicked Alby's stance as she returned his glare.

"What the bloody hell are you talking about?" Surprise took over both Gladers' faces as she spook with the confidence she was known for. "After all the time we've spent together, you suddenly don't remember my name? Have your memories been removed again from that thick skull of yours?."

Although her words were direct, and her tone determined, the young redhead was as astonished as them. Her face didn't show it, but Riley was certain she had never felt so out of place in her life. She didn't know what she was doing inside the Box once again, but what unsettled her the most were the looks she was receiving from both Gladers.

"Newt, I think a Gathering is calling," Alby murmured, his eyes still wide, before glancing back at the girl. "C'mon, Riley."

-#-

The Keepers were scattered around the room, each of them sitting on their respective seats, which consisted on chairs they themselves had made out of the wood of the trees in the forest. The silence that surrounded them was tense and heavy, displaying the seriousness of the situation. Even Gally, who always seemed to have something pesky to say, was quiet.

"Where's Alby?" Frypan dared to ask and glanced at the second in command.

Newt shifted on his seat, more uncomfortable by seconds, as he looked over at the vacant seat next to him. Then, his eyes drifted towards the closed door, as if expecting someone to burst in any second now, which he was certain it was more than unlikely. Finally, Newt let out a sigh and rubbed his face with his grubby hands –he had been taking care of the Gardens when the Box came, so he hadn't exactly had the time to clean them up.

"He's taking Riley to the Homestead," he revealed, after some minutes of hesitation.

Almost immediately, a roaring laugh echoed throughout the room, piercing the calm atmosphere within seconds.

"And here I thought you'd be the one wanting to spend time with her," Gally commented, and malice permeated his voice as he spoke. "You know, like good ol' days."

Newt was stopped by Zart, who didn't hesitate and held the blond Glader back. An annoyed frown had crept onto his features, and he was glaring daggers into Gally's head.

"Slim it, Gally," someone said, before the door closed again.

Alby's arrival seemed to calm Newt down, for he broke free from Zart's grip and sat back down on his seat. Then, the Keeper of Keepers walked in and took the seat at his right, avoiding Newt's inquisitive gaze the whole time.

"What?" Newt finally snapped, as he had noticed his friend's sudden odd behavior towards him.

Alby cleared his throat.

"She remembers us," he informed calmly, yet his voice sounded a bit off, as though he was hiding something important.

Within seconds, whispers flooded the room as the Gladers stared at their boy in shock, disbelief glowing in their eyes. Gally crossed his arms over his toned chest but waited for Alby to continue, for he knew the Keeper wasn't done talking. Only Newt, who had been frowning since Riley had appeared, jumped from his seat.

"Wait, Newt!"

Alby ran after the blond Glader, who had already stormed out the room. There was no need for him to think about her whereabouts. Obviously, Riley wasn't in the Homestead, as the Keepers had made sure no Glader was there, so that the Gathering could take place without running into trouble. And there was only one place he could imagine she'd have gone.

Everyone's attention drifted towards Newt as he ran across the Glade, his limp more noticeable at that moment. If they were curious about his strange behavior, no one dared to make a small comment about it, nor did they try to stop him. His features were furrowed in concentration, confusion, and the slightest of the hopes; a helpless hope, that much he knew. His feet dug into the dirty weed the moment he stepped into the Deadheads, and only when Alby caught up with him, did his pace waver.

"I sometimes forget you were once a runner."

The look in Newt's face could have broken even Gally's careless attitude... or maybe not, considering the ruthless boy was so fond of his desolation, especially after Riley's disappearance. His eyes stared at him, and the desperation that came in waves from his gaze was almost crushing.

"You didn't let me finish," Alby began.

"I don't need to hear anything else," replied Newt, stepping away from his friend as he did. However, he didn't walk away. There was something in his mind that was screaming at him to run, something that told him he didn't want to hear what Alby was going to say. But, at the same time, his feet seemed to have sunk into the grass, preventing him from continuing his path.

"You may think that, but this is something you must know," Alby rubbed his face and sighed. "Newt, she remembers everyone… except for you."

-#-

What Riley had always loved about the forest was the silence that flooded it restlessly. When she escaped from everything –and everyone–, she went there, for when she was alone with the simple company of those trees, she felt at peace. A small smile had replaced the frown that had been plastered on her face ever since that morning, and serenity had taken over the uneasy feeling that had been squeezing her heart. With her back leaning on the thick trunk of a tree, her feet pointing towards the high sky, and her eyelids closed, she breathed in the peaceful sensation. Truth be told, there were too many questions without answer running in her mind, too many to count. Yet, she allowed herself a moment of relax; she deserved it. And, as minutes had gone by, the confusion she had once felt slowly abandoned her.

Just one single thing kept roaming her mind, as though it had its own life and refused to follow the rest into oblivion.

"Riley."

A surprised yelp erupted from her throat when Alby's voice came from behind the tree she was leaning against, startling her. The boy _almost_ smiled at her shocked features, while she placed a hand over her heart in an attempt to calm down.

"Bloody hell, Alby," she breathed out. Then, a frown crept onto her features. "How did you know I was here?"

That was when the boy whose face wouldn't leave her mind came into view, and her lips pursed into a frown without her consent. Ignoring the question thrown his way, and probably thinking it was already responded, Alby patted Newt's shoulder twice and sent a nod in Riley's way before walking away. After trying to murder Alby with one of her famous glares –to no avail– the red-haired girl turned towards Newt and scanned his features, as if mulling something over, before a smirk suddenly formed on her lips.

"Are you going to stand there all day?"

And there was her split personality, the one that managed to drive everyone nuts within seconds. So many months ago, Newt had come to the conclussion it was not her fault; the ones who had put them there had definitely had something with that. Not that it would make any difference, as they were trapped in that place anyway. Quickly snapping out of his trail of thoughts, Newt turned towards her and regarded the young woman for a moment before approaching her, as though he were debating wheter or not it'd be safe to do so.

"Newt, right?" His name rolled off her tongue the same way he remembered, and he glanced at her from the corner of his eye and nodded, just once. "I don't really know what to say, but I guess I'm sorry," Riley said, her hands intertwined before her.

Newt titled his head, confused.

"What for?"

"Forgetting," she replied swiftly.

Out of the corner of her eye, Riley could feel the boy staring at her, deep in thought, yet she kept her gaze focused on the blue sky that spread above them.

"You'll remember, eventually," was all he said, his voice distant.

Then, the boy stood up and swayed on his heels, hesitating.

"You think so?" she asked, torn between hopeful and nonchalant.

"I hope so," he admitted and offered her a hand to take, which she did before following the boy out of the woods. Then, they both headed off to the Homestead, where Newt was certain the Keepers were still wating for Riley to show up and explain everything as detailed as she could.

_-Some minutes later-_

"What do you mean?!"

Gally was losing his patience, if he had had any in the first place. The Keepers were gathered around Riley, who looked about to cut Gally's head off. She crossed her arms over her chest and stared deadly into his blue eyes, a stance that told everyone she was in for a fight.

"Ah, you know, I mean that your brain has lost its last bloody neuron." With a cold look in her eyes, she approached him. "What could I possibly mean when I say I don't shucking remember, uh?!"

"Enough!"

But not even Alby's demanding tone broke the tension between both Gladers. After some seconds, Riley let out an exasperated sigh and drifted her gaze over to the leader, who didn't seem too pleased with her attitude but didn't say anything about it, which she appreciated; she didn't need anyone lecturing her, especially when she was that angry.

"I've already told you; I don't remember anything. I know that I was a runner, yet nothing about the Maze comes to my mind when I think of it, and it's driving me crazy because nothing makes bloody sense." She pinched the bridge of her nose and tried to calm down. Then, her green eyes locked on Newt's ones, which were already watching her closely, scrutinizing. "You don't make sense either. How is it I remember everyone but you?"

The question wandered in the air between them, but no one dared to speak a word. Because, truth was, there was no answer to it; not a logical one at least. Clint had tried to explain the reason by saying she had hit her head and some of the memories had fade away due to the hit.

He had been ignored.

When silence became too loud for her liking, Riley ran a hand through her messy hair and spoke again.

"You know what? I think Thomas feels pretty lost and could use some help." She walked out before anyone could even attempt to stop her.

When the woman left the dark room, the Keepers glanced at Alby, silently asking for permission to follow her steps. Then tan boy could only wave a hand dismissively.

"Newt," he called out after everyone else had left.

The blond stopped on his way to the door and looked at Alby, a questioning expression already drawn on his dirty features.

"Try not to let it bother you too much, shank." He hoped his attempts were good enough, but Newt had never been one to listen to anyone's words when it came to his relationship with Riley. "We'll figure it out."

-#-

Meanwhile, in the other side of the Glade, a grumpy Riley was sitting next to an annoying Thomas. And to think she had been the one to approach him; someone should have warned her about him and the danger that could come to her mind if she tried to chat with him.

"So, it's not your first time here?"

An exasperated groan left her lips as the third question in a row reached her ears, and Riley crossed her arms over her torso while giving the boy a pointed look. He could go to hell with his bloody questions, for all she cared; she was done with him for the day.

"No," was the harsh answer he got.

Noticing her discomfort and not wanting her to leave, as he did not have any other company aside from Chuck, -a chubby, young kid who followed him everywhere, like a babysitter-, Thomas decided to be smart and drop the subject.

"And how do I become a runner?"

The unexpected question caught Riley so off guard she choked on the juice she was drinking. Fortunately for her and her lungs, someone was there to pat her on the back and help her recompose.

"Thanks." She took a deep, needed breath and turned around, only to come face to face with Newt. "Oh, it's you."

The indifference and almost disdain that acquired her voice stung into his heart like a knife, but he managed to hide how much the words had hurt him and sat down next to Thomas.

"You're bloody dumb, Greenie, if you think you can make it so easily."

Thomas glanced at Riley for a second. It was evident that something was going on between the two Gladers, and as the curious boy he was, he wrote some question about it on the back of his head. He definitely would ask later... or maybe not, if it could drive Riley to kick him where the sun didn't shine.

"I don't think it's easy, but I want to be a runner," he argued, determination permeated his voice.

_Not just an annoyingly curious boy, but he's also an idiot,_ Riley thought as he talked on.

"A'right."

Riley arched an eyebrow and sent Newt a disapproving look, disbelief shining in her eyes. The boy merely gave her a knowing glance that practically said "trust me" and added, "I'll come for you tonight, and we'll take a walk. If you still want to be a runner after that, I'll talk to Minho."

Realization washed over her before the sketch of a smirk began to take shape on her face. However, before she could congratulate Newt on his smart move, Chuck cut in.

"C'mon Thomas, I still have to show you to the Gardens."

And just like that, both boys got up and walked away. Riley could only watch as they marched, a shocked look written all over her face.

"Was he here the whole time?"

Newt chuckled.

-#-

The Doors, those stony walls that surrounded the Glade, were about to close, as the end of the day approached. There, in the middle of the Glade, someone was awaiting the arrival of the Runners. The sun began its descent as the first one came in, running towards where she was. A grin quickly formed on her face when she recognized him.

"Minho!"

Minho, as if someone had slapped him, stopped dead in his tracks, and Riley took advantage of his stupor to throw herself at him. Her arms wrapped around his torso, giving him a friendly hug.

"Riley?"

She stepped back.

"The one and only."

Soon enough, the girl had filled him in and was walking with him towards the Maps Room, where the Runners went to try to complete the map of the huge Maze. However, she had made sure not to speak about her amnesia and merely mentioned that her memories about the Maze had been removed as soon as she had stepped into the Glade. Thankfully, Minho hadn't comment on it, probably smart enough to find it pointless, considering she did _not_ remember. Some Gladers would do well to follow his pattern, that much she wished. When Minho was done with the maps, he glanced at his friend, who was frowning at the sight.

"Brings back memories, right?" he commented, a smile illuminating his features.

Riley picked up one of the papers and stared at it for a minute, before she dropped it. Then, she walked around the room and took in the amount of maps that were spread around.

"I'm sure Newt's glad you're back; he's been bloody worried since your disappearance."

"He was?"

"Well, what did you expect?" Minho asked, looking a bit confused by Riley's reaction.

Riley was at a loss of words, but her head was starting to ache, and she decided to drop the subject.

"I'm going back to the Homestead," she announced, before adding, "Think you can manage on your own?"

The glare Minho sent her was enough to bring a humorous laugh out of her, which caused the boy to realize how much he had miss his good friend, the only one in the Glade who appreciated his sense of humour and was as witty as he was.

"See you later, you annoying slinthead."

* * *

**EDITED: 10/07/2016**


	3. Freedom

**CHAPTER THREE:**

Freedom

* * *

Adrenaline rolled down her veins as her legs moved at a fast pace, dragging her to nowhere in particular. A content feeling filled her body, lightening her heavy soul. Her feet stepped soundlessly on the dirty, cracked ground as she ran down the corridors of the Maze. There was a joyful smile illuminating her features, the ones who had been furrowed ever since she had arrived to the Glade. But now, she felt blissful, mostly because she was doing what she was supposed to do and what made her fill complete and useful to the Gladers who worked so hard day after day.

Running. She was where she belonged: into the Maze.

Even though she didn't remember one bit of it, the memory of the marvelous sensation of rushing down its paths was fresh in her mind.

Her legs ached in fatigue, though. Oddly enough -or maybe not so odd-, Riley wasn't in shape; as though it had been long since she had exercised. Something that was likely true, judging by the reactions of Alby and the rest of the Gladers when she told them about going outside the Glade. At first, Alby had denied her request, babbling on about the possible side effects. However, he had changed his mind, and Riley had to be thankful to Minho for making that happen.

The only one who hadn't seemed too pleased with the suggestion had been Newt. Even after Minho assured him that he wouldn't leave her side, the blond had still refused to let Riley go. Nevertheless, much to both his displeasure and her pleasure, Alby got the last word.

So now there she was: following Minho into the Maze. Because, evidently, she wasn't allowed to go on her own. Her eyes were fixed on his back as she attempted to keep the fast pace. The boy didn't seem to be tired at all, but Riley could feel the first drops of sweat covering her forehead. In addition, her breath came out in huffs and her heart beat frenetic against its cage, almost painfully.

"Hey, we're stopping for a minute." Minho's voice echoed between the huge walls.

The redhead almost fell headfirst to the ground, but managed to only stumble on her feet. Minho gave her a worried look and watched silently as she sat down against one of the walls, her face giving her exhaustion away.

"Bloody hell, I'm going to die," Riley muttered under her breath, low enough so he didn't hear her.

After bringing a bottle of water out of his bag, he tossed it to her. It smashed right into her sweaty face.

"What the hell, Minho?" Surprisingly enough, she jumped to her feet and glared daggers at her companion, who simply shrugged.

"You were supposed to catch it," he defended, an amused grin dancing on his lips.

Riley huffed, annoyed, but bent down to pick up the bottle. She emptied it within seconds, before tossing it back to Minho. Silence fell upon them as both Gladers regained energy.

"I've been thinking about what you said yesterday," she suddenly commented. Minho glanced at her, confused. "About Newt being so worried about me."

Realization crashed over him. After their meeting, Alby had paid him a visit and had explained everything to him, which included Riley's specific amnesia.

"Why was he so concerned about my safety?"

The question hung in the air between them, and Minho contemplated answering, but decided not to.

"It's probably best that you ask Newt about it." Seeing that Riley was about to complain, he quickly put the bottles inside his bag and started to run. "We've been here for too long, we must go back!"

A pout worked its way to Riley's lips, but she didn't take long to follow her friend.

-#-

"Do you really think it was a good idea?!"

Newt wouldn't stop pacing around the room, which was earning exasperated looks from Alby. The tanned boy sighed heavily and crossed his arms over his chest. He could understand his friend's worry, but they couldn't keep Riley from trying to live her life. On the other hand, Alby was annoyed; no, he was beyond annoyed. Not only he had to deal with Riley's problem, but then there was this strange chick. The Box had brought her that same morning, effectively taking everyone by surprise. Instantly, questions had flooded his mind. But the shucking girl couldn't give him the answers he was looking for, for she had fallen in some kind of coma, the annoying shank.

"It may be good, you know." He tried to talk Newt out of his obfuscation and forget about that last issue in the process.

Newt stopped in his tracks to glare at him.

"How the bloody hell could it be any good? Don't you shucking remember what happened last time she went into the Maze?"

Alby approached him and placed a hand on one of his slouched shoulders.

"I know, but that won't happen again. Minho's with her this time," he explained.

A pang stabbed Newt's heart then; he felt utterly desolated because Riley seemed to remember everyone but him. He felt hopeless, and Alby could see that he was about to give up.

"You slinthead." He punched his shoulder playfully, causing the boy to look up. "We'll figure it out, don't start sulking like a baby now. Besides, I really think it can be good for her memories. You know, going to the places she used to go."

Newt seemed to reason Alby's words. He drifted his chocolate brown gaze to the window, only to find out that night was about to fall. The Doors would close any moment now, and that meant that the runners should be coming back by then. With a unusual smile plastered on his face, Alby followed the Glader out.

-#-

Riley breath hitched when the Glade came into her sight. _Finally_, she thought. The girl was tired as hell, and she didn't think her legs could carry her body for much longer. Her knees dropped on the grass when she walked into the welcoming Glade, smashing on the hard surface. Her heart was still beating heavily in her chest, and sweat rolled down her forehead, but she was way too tired to even dry it out.

She took a deep breath and felt how her lungs expanded with freshness. Minho had already left, heading the Map Room after pointing out how bad company she had been, that she hadn't even spared him a short conversation because she'd have died out of lack of oxigen if she would. The annoying slinthead; she would make sure to get him back for that. Suddenly, a hand came into her view, and Riley looked up to the blond boy who was waiting for her to take it.

"Thanks," she quietly said as she was pulled up to her feet.

However, her legs were trembling like jelly, and she couldn't stop herself from stumbling forward. Newt's arms immediately caught her, and she puffed childish when the boy turned around and kneeled.

"Get on," he offered, but sounded most like a demand.

As much tired as she was, Riley was not about to let him carry her like a bloody damsel in distress.

"No."

"Get on," he insisted.

"I won't do such thing."

"You're so annoying sometimes."

It was then when she realized what he was about to do, and she would never allow him to grab her like a sack of potatoes.

"Okay, okay!" She gave in, panic spread all over her face.

Although Riley wanted nothing more than to keep complaining and refusing, she knew Newt would never give up on trying to get her off her feet. Besides, fatigue was taking over her body and she soon found herself unable to say anything else. Clumsily, the girl sneaked her arms around his neck before she was swiftly lifted. His rough hands wrapped around the back of her thighs to prevent her fall.

He sneaked a glance at her, only to find her eyes closed as she breathed quietly. She wasn't asleep, that much he could tell. However, the fact that she had trusted him _so easily_ was enough to make his heart flutter; Newt liked to believe she hadn't been forced to follow his orders.

After some minutes, Riley let her eyelids open. They –he– were entering the Homestead, and she could start to feel her legs again.

"You can let me down now," she said, snapping Newt out of his trance.

He complied. Her feet touched the floor without making a sound.

"Thanks for the ride," Riley joked, though a grateful smile touched her lips. "I'll be going now, I need to rest for tomorrow's race."

Newt turned towards her so quickly he almost broke his neck. She was already walking away, but was stopped when his hand grasped her wrist.

"Tomorrow? You're not going back into the bloody Maze:" His voice was serious as he stared into her widened eyes.

A frown formed on her face then.

"And who are you to say so?" She broke away from his grip. "You know what, it doesn't matter. I've already talked to Alby about this."

"Are you- look how bad you ended up today! You almost didn't make it!"

"But I did," she hissed. Approaching him, she pointed accusatively at him. "So why don't you shucking leave me alone?"

Newt glared down at her and clenched his fists tightly.

"Last time I left you alone you didn't come back," he spoke lowly. "But it's obvious you have forgotten about that too."

Shock crossed her features before anger boiled through her veins.

"Are you blaming me for losing my memories? Do you think I shucking decided to forget?" She was staring deathly at him; she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "It's hard for you, I got that bloody clear. But have you ever thought it may be difficult for me too?"

Silence followed her words as they both stared deeply into each other's eyes. At one point, her back had ended up pressed against the wall, his face so close to hers she could feel his breathe washing over her face. His brown eyes held her angry gaze with the same rage. She could see him staring into her soul, looking for something.

"Why is it me the only one you can't remember?" His words came out as a whisper, a pained tone hidden in it as the anger slowly faded away.

But Riley didn't know. How could she? All she was aware of was the accelerated beats of her heart in her chest, and the nervous feeling settled on her stomach. He was way too close. It was making her feel oddly both comfortable and uneasy at the same time. Yet she found herself enjoying the warmth his body emitted, which was wrapping around her and comforting her confused mind. They were both on the same boat, they were certain of that. Neither of them had answers, and both of them were desperately looking for them.

His breath hitched when her hand touched his cheek, and her slender fingers caressed the soft skin. He watched her as she watched him, studying him closely. Her green gaze caught the look he was giving her, and she couldn't comprehend the passion in it. Newt longed for her touch while she still owned his heart, even though she was clueless for the time being.

"Newt..."

Riley didn't seem to mind the proximity between them when he stepped even closer, which enlivened his soul. Their bodies were almost touching, both their hearts bumping against each others. Her green eyes drifted to her hand when she felt his light, almost clumsy touch on it. Then, swiftly, Newt intertwined his fingers with hers and held her hand so lightly that the blood almost stopped running through them.

"Why did you forget?"

Her gaze shot up immediately to his face, and the moment was broken, lost. Looking into his deep gaze, her resolution came back; she shouldn't be there with him. It wasn't fair for the boy. She could see it was hurting him a lot, and she felt guilty about it.

"I should go," she muttered lowly before she slid away from him.

Somehow more surprised than expected, Newt watched her as she walked away, still dazed. Her footsteps echoed inside his head while she stepped inside her room. The boy had been so lost in thought that when her sudden shout broke the silence, he jumped slightly on the spot.

"Who the bloody hell is this?!"

Oh shuck, they had forgotten to tell her about the new girl.

* * *

**EDITED: 10/07/2016**


	4. Green

**A/N:** First of all, I want to thank everyone who read, followed and favorited. And, a special thanks to everyone who reviewed.

* * *

**CHAPTER FOUR:**

Green

* * *

Ava Paige paced back and forth, her heels clattering against the cold surface of the ground under her. There was a meditative expression plastered on her face, and her brows were furrowed ever so slightly. She was thinking, completely immersed in her world of thoughts and, by doing so, she was oblivious to the situation around her. But there was no need to provide the scientists any attention, for things were working as they were supposed to be.

Her eyes caught a glimpse of something that brought her back to reality at one point though. And, suddenly, the sound of footsteps, of papers flying around and the low conversations occuring between the people in the room came back. However, her attention did not averted from the screen before her.

There, an interesting scene was taking place. Lying on a bed, and drenched in sweat, was a boy. His tousled, blond hair was jumbled, pointing to different directions of the pillow. His hands were clenched into fists, so tightly that the knuckles were starting to turn white. The sheets that were supposed to protect his body from the coldness of the night and the humidity of the Homestead, were scattered around due to his incessant convulsions. Looking closely, it was easy to notice the pain drawn on his dirty features. Psychological pain, most probably, as he was completely fine regarding his physique. His eyes, hidden behind blinds, moved wildly from left to right, looking for a escape route.

_Ah, a nightmare_.

"How much longer do you think he'll last?"

The question was enunciated by one of the scientist, who had decided to watch the perturbing scene as well. Ava Paige patted her chin thoughtfully, her gaze fixed on the screen the whole time. Silently, she watched as the boy walked out of the Homestead at a slow pace, his feet dragging him across the dirty ground. She watched as he stopped by a certain redhead's bed, as if to assure himself she was still there. And she watched as he eventually resumed his walk, only stopping again when he found himself in front of the closed Walls.

"He's reaching the limit," the chancellor stated. "You see, the curse of love is almost as dangerous as the Flare itself. I'm afraid the girl can be either the end of his agony… or the end of his life. The following days will determine his fate." She paused then, turned her back to the screens and walked over to her table. There, too many papers to be count were scattered about.

"What about Teresa?"

Ava Paige lifted her head to look over at the scientist.

"She will do just fine, as expected. We gave her the needle, and it's now in her pocket. Hopefully, it'll be Riley the one who finds it," she explained. "This will give us enough patterns to work; the rest is up to them. I'm afraid though, we cannot expect anything about the girl's reaction. For all we know, she could either overcome the shock… or kill Teresa."

_Or maybe both._

-#-

Morning had finally come to greet the Gladers, and before the Walls opened, Riley had decided to pay the new girl another visit. So at the moment, she was watching the stranger sleep. Or was she in coma? Rachel did not know nor did she care. To be honest, it wasn't something that kept her awake at night. In fact, not many things could worry the girl enough to disturb her sleep.

"Bloody hell, I swear she looks familiar."

Minho shook his head exasperatedly.

"You've said that a total of… I shucking lost count. But say it again, and I can start counting again."

A sarcastic laugh escaped her mouth.

"How funnier can you get?"

When Minho shrugged carelessly, the redhead turned her attention back to the girl. For some reason Riley was oblivious to, something in the way she slept made her insides churn with rage; the mere sight of the girl awoke a strange feeling in her heart, a feeling that she did not like at all.

"Did I mention that I feel like I should punch her?" Her voice came out so low, that Minho almost didn't hear her, but he fortunately did.

Within seconds, his arms grabbed her shoulders from behind before the boy began to push her towards the door. Consequently, a disapproving expression crossed her features. To say she was frustrated would be an understatement, and even though she had become used to lacking answers, she couldn't help but groan in annoyance.

"I don't shucking know why, but there's this _need_ inside of me that's telling me to kill her," she grunted as she let the Glader take her out of the room.

"You do realize you sound like a psychopath. don't you?"

She huffed.

"Like I care."

Once they were outside, Minho dropped his hands. Somehow grateful, he watched as the redhead trotted away, most likely looking for another victim to harass with her disturbing thoughts about the newcomer. But he could not have been more wrong.

Despite her annoyance towards her own stupid,_ dull-witted _mind, Riley was no fool. Deep inside, she knew nothing useful could sprout from her frustration. Thus, she apathetically made her way towards the Gardens, where she lay down and eventually drifted off. In fact, she didn't lose herself in slumber, for she had been sleeping all night. But she did let her body relax to the point that every fiber of it became completely still. Her eyelids fluttered close, and she _tried_ to enjoy the not-so-peaceful-silence that surrounded the Gardens. Of course, Riley had never minded the sound of the Gladers chattering and working around; it was actually quite the opposite: those sounds always managed to soothe her somehow.

There was one thing she didn't stand, no matter how hard she tried. Screaming.

Unfortunately for her, screams had suddenly flooded the Glade the second her back had touched the soft grass. At first, the redhead had attempted to shut them out, thinking that the reason was probably Gally tormenting another Glader. However, when the screams became louder and –at the same time– more desperate, Riley jumped to her feet. Ignoring the dizzy feeling caused by the sudden movement, she rushed towards the source of the sound.

The Deadheads.

She didn't step in though, for the screams suddenly stopped and three shadows emerged from the forest. Unconsciously, her feet dragged her towards them but promptly stopped when her gaze caught something off.

"No, no, no," she practically begged to no one in particular.

But her prayers were to no avail. Almost petrified, Riley observed the scene before her. Firstly, her gaze fell upon the terrified expression plastered on Thomas' face when he hesitantly stepped away from the rest as they left the woods. Then, her eyes drifted towards the two people who were carrying an unconscious Ben. Immediately, Alby rushed towards them. Some words were exchanged, before Newt let the leader replace him in the task; his hurt leg would probably not allow him to carry the boy.

There was an arrow piercing Ben's shoulder, she noticed while they hurried away and towards the Homestead, and Riley quickly made sure to follow them before they disappeared from sight.

-#-

"He attacked the Newbie," Alby explained when the Keepers finally gathered together.

Everyone was sitting on their respective seats, forming a semicircle. In the corner though, Riley stood with her arms crossed. She knew what was coming; she had known the moment she laid her eyes on Thomas.

"Truth is, he was under the effects of the changing, but we cannot ignore the fact that he broke a rule," the boy kept on.

Her eyes closed when the last words fell from his mouth, and she feared the worst. To be honest, that situation wasn't new at all. The first days in the Glade had been dark, and panic had invaded the hearts of so many. In addition, no one knew of the dangers residing inside the Maze, and consequently, Grievers had taken advantage of their ignorance. But it had been long since the last incident, or so she hoped. Then again, Riley didn't know how much she had been out, and she decided not to mull over it for the moment being.

"But what if the Greenie had something to do with this?!" Gally suddenly snapped, nabbing the title of _dickhead_ once again.

"We don't know what made him go bloody jacked," Newt tried to reason, an annoyed frown already formed on his forehead.

"Obviously we don't, but I tell you I've seen Thomas before. As far as I'm concerned, this shank could be planning something, or working for the people who brought us here!"

"I'll personally talk to Thomas after this, but we're here to discuss Ben's fate," Alby intervene, causing Newt to shut his mouth before he could respond to Gally's assumptions.

It was then that Riley decided to regain the ability to speak. She was practically hidden in the shadows, and it seemed that everyone had forgotten about her presence, for some of them yelped in surprise when she spoke.

"What is there to discuss?"

Her voice had come out so calm, so emotionless, that everyone in the room tensed. Newt and Minho exchanged worried looks, but no one dared to open their mouth.

"He attacked a Glader, so he is to be punished," she talked on, almost in trance. "He broke the rules."

Had she said something that hadn't been said before? No. But the impact of her dull voice was stronger than her words, and it was the reason she caught the attention of everyone so easily. Then, as though she had concluded the gathering, the girl left the room before anyone could stop her.

Silence fell upon the Gladers as they stared at the closed door.

"She's gone nuts again."

"Shuck."

"I can't remember the last time I saw her like this."

"I do! It was when Newt was almost killed."

"More like he almost killed himself…"

"Slim it, all of you!" Alby demanded harshly, before he turned towards Newt, who didn't look pleased in the least. "It's time for you to use that trick of yours, and snap her out of it."

Snapping Newt out of it was what Alby did, for the boy glanced at him with confusion written all over his face.

"What trick?"

"I don't know shank, but you always brought her back."

Minutes of silence followed Alby's words, and finally Newt sighed.

"Good that."

-#-

Green.

Everything was bloody green. The more she stared, the more green it became.

And it was bright; too bright for her liking.

She was looking into that green, and suddenly she did not see green anymore. Her mind was numb, probably due to the punch she had gifted her head with. Why had she done it? Because everything was white… or was it green?

She shook her head frenetically, trying to regain her sanity. Somehow, she knew she was losing it again. It had been long since it had happened, as in… long. Hell, she didn't know how long because she didn't remember how long.

Did that make sense? Not at all. But it did to her.

Her fingers dig into her red locks, and the tips pressed tightly against her skull. Why did she not remember?

She was almost certain she had let out a frustrated scream. Or maybe it had been her imagination. But she was frustrated, so she could have screamed in frustration.

…

Why was everything so green?!

And why, after… long, had something like that happened? Ben wasn't supposed to attack anyone; he was a good shank. Then, maybe it was actually Thomas' fault. But he seemed to be a good shank too. And Gally had accused him to be the problem, and he was never right -or was it wrong?

In any case, she didn't think Thomas had something to do with Ben's madness. He was a good shank, right?

But Ben was going to be banished.

And everything was still green-wait, there was some brown down there as well.

Ben wasn't to blame either. Those Grievers… if they had let him be he wouldn't have had to go through the changing. Gally went through that too, did he? Yes, he did. But he didn't react that way. Then again, Thomas wasn't there when it happened.

Who cared about Gally anyway? He wasn't a good shank. He got into a fight with her once.

He did? When?

…long ago.

"Riley."

Someone was calling her, but she didn't see anyone. Green and a bit of brown; that was all she saw.

"Riley."

Her hands hurt, she suddenly noticed.

"Riley!"

"Slim it, green, I'm going with brown," she replied to the loud voice.

Green was a bitch.

And Ben… he'd be gone by night. She should pay him a visit. But, what if he attacked her? Then she should be blamed as Thomas had been. Not that she cared anyway.

…

Something stopped next to her hand: a foot.

"Riley…"

Slowly, the pieces started to fit, and the girl realized she had been staring at the grass the whole time. Her hands, red and covered in dirt, had probably been picking at it, which would explain why her fingers hurt and why her nails were filled with grit.

"Riley," the same voice called out for the umpteenth time.

And Riley looked up. Her eyes clashed with the chocolate brown ones of Newt as he knelt down to her level. Concern was written all over his face, and a frown was settled on his forehead. He seemed to be looking for something, staring right into her soul.

Honestly, she hadn't recovered from her trance yet, but somewhere in her mind, she found the strength to overcome the shock. Her lips parted, and a question flew from them.

"Why did he attack him?"

The unexpected tremble in her voice was something Newt had heard only twice in his life, and he felt as if someone had punched him in the gut. How the girl managed to make him feel so many things at the same time was beyond any logical argument.

"I don't know."

There was no trace of lying in his features as he talked to her softly, slowly. In some way, it looked like a parent soothing their daughter. But it was far from that. And, even though Riley didn't notice it that time, she did hear the worry in his voice. For some reason, that was enough to make the girl break.

She didn't cry -that day would not come if she could avoid it-, yet her eyes shimmered with controlled tears, and the words began to escape her mouth on their own will.

"He shouldn't have; he is not bad, I know he's not. It was the changing, and the bloody Grievers. They're the ones who should be punished. I'm going to punish them; I'm going into the Maze and-"

Newt didn't know what came over him, but his ears shut her down when he heard that last sentence. The memories that had tormented his sleep that night were still fresh, and those words had somehow brought them back. The boy knew he wouldn't be able to overcome the pain if he lost her again. So, consequently, he snapped.

How?

By grabbing her head in his hands and smashing his lips against hers.

* * *

_Reviews are appreciated :)_

**EDITED: 10/07/2016**


	5. Panic

I finished the third and last book of the trilogy some days ago, and have been in a gloomy mood ever since. Anyway, I'm planning on writing a prequel to this story, seeing as I think it would be interesting to know about Newt and Rachel's first days in the Glade. Tell me what you think about this idea!

I still don't know how I managed to write another chapter after updating five days ago; I'm proud of myself. As usual, I want to thank everyone who read, followed and favorited. And, a special thanks to everyone who reviewed, you guys are awesome. Hopefully, you'll enjoy this chapter :)

* * *

**CHAPTER FIVE:**

Panic

_Go, stop and go_

* * *

_Everything went in slow motion. Rushed words stopped slipping from her mouth the moment his lips caught hers, and her green eyes could have rolled out of their sockets due to the unexpected action. For some seconds, she remained still on the spot, staring in utter disbelief into the wide eyes of Newt; he seemed to be as shocked as she was, as if he couldn't comprehend the situation either. The closeness between their bodies, along with the urged touch of his lips on hers, was sending waves of uncontrolled emotions to her heart. Truth be told, the familiar sensation that invaded her body surprised her at first, and an idea started to mold in her mind, an idea she tried to grasp within her thoughts._

_However, as soon as it had come it faded away. The girl, as though she had suddenly understood the situation, placed both hands on his chest and pushed him away from her. Both Gladers could only stare in silent shock at one another as they tried to compose themselves. _

_"What the bloody hell do you think you're you doing?!" she demanded to know, looking completely confused. _

_Even though she was expecting answers, Newt remained silent. Had he not been so shocked by his own actions, he would have punched himself. But he could only wonder why he had done such thing and hope that it wouldn't drive her ever farther from him._

_"Shuck, I'm sorry, I didn't-," he shut his mouth, for he found himself unable to form a complete sentence that didn't sound utterly pathetic._

_His voice lacked emotion, and Riley could easily tell he didn't mean it; he wasn't sorry at all. What's more, the boy didn't look ashamed in the least, but merely speechless and almost glad. Noticing that, the redhead__ blinked as her confusion turned into realization. Whether it had been that last indifferent word what had cleared her mind or the deep in his eyes, she didn't know. But, she suddenly saw it, understood it. And she immediately felt uncomfortable under the intensity of his gaze. Thus, without muttering a word, she clumsily stood up and quickly trotted away. Only when the protection provided by the Deadheads surrounded her did she dare to take a quick glance back, but Newt wasn't there anymore. _

_Ignoring the tickling on her lips, and the strange pricking in her heart, she immersed herself in the quietness of the small forest. _

"She walked away just like that?"

Newt rubbed his face for the third time as a useless attempt to block the thread of thoughts that wouldn't let him think about anything but the encounter he had had with Riley some minutes ago.

"It's hard to believe, shank," Minho talked on.

Apparently, their unexpected meeting had been witnessed by more Gladers than he had previously thought. Minho had approached him the moment Riley's shape had faded into the darkness of the forest, ready to congratulate the blond and not having seen the real ending to their clash. However, the words had died in his throat when the broken expression of his friend had come into his view.

"Bloody hell, I can't believe I lost control," Newt commented out loud, more to himself than to the runner beside him. "She definitely knows now."

"Yeah, I must say you're pretty obvious," Minho granted, much to the boy's dismay.

A frustrated groan escaped his lips before he rubbed his face for the fourth time. He blamed the ones who had removed her memories of him for that, he blamed the same ones who had messed with her mind until breaking it without repair. Why would someone do that? He couldn't find a logical answer to any of his questions, but to be honest, he didn't care about reasons. He cared about solutions, for he knew he was going crazier by minutes.

Somewhere in the way back to the Homestead, Alby had joined them. He had witnessed the scene as well, but didn't look like he gave a klunk about it at that moment; in fact, Alby had never really cared about his relationship with Riley as long as it didn't imply more problems to him. Only when the conversation between both Gladers began to annoy him did he speak.

"You're pouting."

"Yeah, like a shucking baby," Minho added.

Alby sighed.

"At least you managed to bring her back; it shucking annoys me whenever she has this attacks."

Currently, they were outside the Homestead, close to the Gardens. As an attempt to avoid the subject, Newt took the conversation into a different direction.

"What about the new girl?" he asked, although his voice didn't sound too eager; it was evident he could care less about her fate at the moment being.

Either Alby was unaware of his noticeable disinterest, or he decided to ignore it, for he crossed his arms and replied in an unpleased tone.

"She's a pain in the ass. Won't stop wailing nonsense." He paused and sighed. "And she's still asleep, which is shucking getting on my nerves."

There was another pause following his words as the Gladers dived into their thoughts. The sun was finally starting to descend far into the horizon, and it would be a matter of minutes that the Walls closed; providing them the protection they needed at night. Newt knew, as the other two did, that the event they feared was closing in. And, as if reading their minds, a voice spoke from behind them.

"It's time."

After hearing those words, Alby glanced back at Gally to acknowledge his presence. Nodding in agreement, the Gladers walked away from the Homestead. Only Newt stood still, his eyes drifting unconsciously to the woods for a second before he finally made his way to the open Walls, where some Gladers were already waiting. As he approached them, he noticed the different expressions plastered on their faces: some of them appeared to be confused -which probably meant that it was the first time they witnessed a banishment-, while others looked deep in thought. Either way, everyone was afflicted by the sudden turn of events.

"Newt, let's do this quick," Alby said when the rest of the Keepers positioned themselves at both sides of the huge Walls.

Not so long after Newt indicated his agreement, screams cut across the dense atmosphere. The Gladers did their best not to show hesitation, despite the hard situation, and everything was over with no delay. In the end, the Walls closed with a shrilled screak, and everyone fell silent. Yet, as the boys returned to their beds that night, the remembrance of Ben's screams and prayers invaded their dreams.

-#-

When the first rays of the sun touched the sky, illuminating its dull color with a strange light, Thomas opened his eyes. What he had not been expecting was to come face to face with a serious Newt, whose eyes were staring at him as though he were trying to wake him up with his gaze.

"Rise and shine, Greenie. You'll be working under Zart's commands today."

A mocking smirk tugged on his lips then, and Newt delightedly watched as the greenie's face furrowed in displeasure. Then, without much of a goodbye, the blond walked away heading the Homestead. As soon as he reached the lame excuse of a building, Alby turned around to face him and gave him a pointed look.

"Riley has been _hiding_ in the shucking woods since yesterday," Alby said, clearly not pleased at the redhead's attitude, and kept babbling on.

Honestly, Newt had shut him down the second his friend had opened his mouth, taken a stick and been playing with it ever since, tapping apathetically the ground under his feet. He had not uttered a word to let Alby know he was actually listening to him, yet the boy didn't seem to mind and kept complaining on about the female. He had been so immersed in his thoughts that when urged yells reached his ears he jumped on the spot and almost fell backwards. It took him a moment to realize his friend had already left in the direction of the source of the screams, but as soon as he did, he took off after him.

Somewhere along the way, he caught the sound of light footsteps rushing after him, yet he did not stop nor did he turn around to see who it was. As soon as he reached Alby, the one who had been indirectly following him stopped besides him. One glance from the corner of his eye was enough for his heart to make him curse under his breath. Regardless the awkwardness that bathed the atmosphere when their eyes met for less than a second, both Gladers returned their attention to the scene before.

Minho was lying on the ground, panting heavily. Sweat rolled down his forehead and some drops grazed the skin of his eyelids, wriggling effortlessly into his dark eyes. His features showed concern, and a bit of excitement, as he looked up to meet Alby's curious gaze.

"Shuck, just bring me the shucking water," he managed to said, and his voice came out rugged and low; he was most likely dehydrated.

The Gladers watched silently as Alby, after giving him a displeased look, rushed to the kitchens. When his silhouette disappeared in the distance, Newt approached the exhausted runner.

"What happened?" he dared to ask, ignoring the fact that Thomas had suddenly turned up and was watching the scene in silent curiosity. Bloody hell, the Greenie was certainly everywhere, the curious shuck face.

Minho didn't reply though, for he was way too exhausted to even utter another word. However, as he was about to sit up, a shadow stopped by his face. He didn't need to look up to know who it was, as the way the shadow had its arms placed firmly on its hips was enough for him to figure out.

"Nice race," Riley spoke harshly, sarcasm gracing her voice. She was definitely not pleased, and not to blame her, considering she had been left behind while Minho went outside the Walls.

Yet, she offered him a hand, which he had to refuse to take because unfortunately he was too tired to stand up. Instead, he sat up, just in time to see that Alby was back. The leader handed him a bottle, and as Minho drank from it, his eyes unconsciously drifted towards the two people who were purposely avoiding any kind of contact. Surprisingly enough, Newt had considerably distanced himself from them the moment Riley had stepped on his face, and was now standing some feet away.

"What happened?" It was Alby the one who snapped the runner out of his thoughts, repeating Newt's question in a more demanding tone. The Glader wasn't pleased in the least, and he didn't even tried to hide it as he scrutinized Minho with hard eyes.

Completely forgetting about the rest, Minho fixed his attention on the disgruntled-looking boy. He took a deep breath before speaking words he thought he'd never speak. And, as he expected, silence followed his revelation. The Gladers, and the boy he supposed him to be the Greenie of the month -Thomas, was it?-, stared at him as if he had wrong three heads.

"What?"

"Repeat that?"

Were those shanks actually deaf? Minho ended up taking the hand Riley was still offering him and stood from the ground.

"I said that I've ran into a dead Griever," he finally repeated, looking serious. "I don't know how, but it's there lying on the ground like a dead hedgehog."

Apparently, his words had finally decided to sink into their minds, for concern crossed their faces. Thoughts began to flood Rachel's head, and the girl subconsciously shut everyone down. A dead Griever was not something one found every day, and if it was dead it meant something had killed it.

_Is it possible to kill a Griever? Most importantly, how strong and deadly must one be to take down a thing like that?_

_Maybe he is taking a nap._

It didn't take her long to realize she had said it out loud. A small blush crept onto her cheeks due to the sudden attention, before she turned away from their dumbstruck stares.

"I was kidding."

Fortunately for her, they decided not to respond to her absurd assumption. Instead, they began to contemplate their options, but to Rachel it was crystal clear: they had to go into the Maze to investigate. For all she knew, it was the first physical proof they had since they woke up in the Glade.

_Boys_. An exasperated sigh escaped her lips as she watched the two Keepers argue. Knowing better than to listen to any conversation between the two, she glanced around to see if someone else had decided to approach them. But to all appearances, everyone had turned back to their tasks except for Gally; the boy was watching them silently from afar, yet it didn't look like he was going to come over anytime soon.

"Good that, let's go." Alby's voice caught her attention, and she rounded on her heels to face them.

"_Finally_," she muttered. "We have to do it quick, you've been arguing long enough."

"Wait, what?"

Apathetically, Riley drifted her green gaze towards Newt, who didn't look pleased. _As usual_.

"Have you not been listening? We're going to investigate our dead friend."

His brown eyes scanned her face, only to left a strange feeling in her mind when he turned to Alby. Was it a déjà vu? She shook her head mentally and waited for Newt to say something else.

"No, I have a hunch this is not a good idea," he firmly said.

Shock crossed her features then, as she was expecting something different.

"We're not going to stay here just because you have a bloody hunch," she replied, but tensed when his gaze fell upon her. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

She didn't know, but she was not the only one clueless. And Thomas, who for some unknown reason, had decided to witness the scene.

Much to her discomfort, Newt didn't respond immediately, not ever; he just stood there staring at her with a feeling written in his eyes, a feeling she had finally figured out. It had been roaming her insides, drinking from her mind and stressing the hell out of her ever since realization had hit her after the boy kissed her. And she would be lying if she said that the situation didn't frightened her; it was scaring the hell out of her. Not just because of the feelings he seemed to have developed towards her, but also because she was aware of the strange emotions and needings she held as well; something she couldn't quite understand. Riley had been racking her mind for a whole day, and she had come to the assumption that her forgotten memories were more substantial than she had once believed. Whether it was that what made her finally snap or the frustation of not knowing eating her up, she did not care. But she couldn't take it anymore; she needed him to stop giving such passionate looks to her.

"Look, I don't know what relationship we might have been in, but I don't remember. To be honest, I don't know if I'll ever do." Taking a deep breath, she concluded with a final, "It'd be better if you forgot about it as well. Expectations won't lead you anywhere."

Plain, but crystal clear.

A heavy silence fell upon them after her cynical words. For some odd reason, her own words hurt her in a way she never though they would. But Newt needed to live his life as well, and if he was always trailing after her like a lost puppy, he wouldn't be able to do so. On the other hand, the broken look that glowed in his chocolate brown eyes at that moment easily managed to make her feel even worse. However, she tried to convince herself it was for his own good, if not for hers. His eyelids fluttered closed, his feature relaxed in a way that seemed to be forced. Riley had unconsciously done the same and turned around to face the Walls.

"I won't let her out of my sight."

Minho's words sounded too distant, as though there was an invisible screen separating them. It was when the boy tugged her into the Maze that she realized she was running.

-#-

Long minutes had passed by, and the sun was still shinning high in the sky when Minho rounded the last corner, followed by Alby and Riley. There had been a constant, uprising silence accompanying them ever since they had stepped into the Maze; the boys hadn't dared to speak a word after the troubled situation between their friends. From time to time though, she could feel them sneak curious glances at her. She had paid no mind, however; all the way to the dead griever, the girl had been staring straight ahead, her mind clearly somewhere else.

But now, as the Gladers stopped to stare at the deadly thing that was lying before them, words needed to be spoken.

"It does look dead to me," Alby commented, to which the redhead nodded in agreement.

"And the bloody scent corroborates it."

There was a silent pause as the Gladers mentally pondered about what to do. Finally, as the leader Alby was, he began to approach the thing.

"Be caref-"

Minho's words died in the air when the not-as-dead-as-they-thought Griever came back to life and launched itself at Alby. Unfortunately, the action had been so unexpected and the boy was so startled, that he didn't have time to avoid the attack. Frozen in the spot, Riley could only watch as his friend was stung and the Griever rolled away seconds later.

"Shuck!" Minho ran at him and kneeled by his side, a panicked expression written all over his face. A grimace crept onto his face at the sight. "We have to go back. Now."

The panic grazing his voice seemed to awake the girl from her stupor, for she quickly helped Minho and both Gladers began to make their way back to the Glade. To say it was a hard task would be an understatement; Alby wasn't easy to carry, but he would die in a matter of hours if they didn't give him the serum.

"Faster!"

As they carried the injured boy as fast as they could, Riley drifted her green gaze to the sky. It was starting to darken, and the sun wasn't anywhere to be seen; which only meant one thing: they were running out of time. Helpless, the redhead cursed their luck.

_Please, let us arrive on time_, she begged to no one in particular.

-#-

Hours had gone by, which had given Newt the time to mull over Riley's words. After squeezing his brain to no end, he was eventually beginning to accept them. As much as the thought pained him, the girl who was now with them was not the one who disappeared some months ago. Somehow, she reminded him to the rude female who had woken up in the Glade with them two years ago, the one who didn't open up to anyone. It was the same again, yet he had forced her to treat him as a friend from the beginning. He remembered the firsts days in the Glade, when she almost killed him for sneaking up on her with the simple objective of offering her some bread. But those days were long gone, and they eventually became friends, which had actually taken long weeks.

Shaking his head to stop himself from diving into the past, Newt finally made up his mind. A start over. Just like years ago, he would approach her slowly. Of course, the redhead had awaken strong feelings in his heart, but he swore to himself he would put them aside if needed. The boy felt satisfied with his decision and was about to smile when something stopped him.

The sun was coming down.

-#-

Thomas was finally released from the incessant work in the Gardens. His hands were red from plucking weeds, but he gave out a relieved sigh and sat down next to the one who seemed to be his only friend in that place. Much to his surprise, Chuck didn't say a word to him, and Thomas could only wonder the reason behind his unusual silence as he gazed at him. The younger boy wasn't even looking at him; his eyes were fixed on a spot not so far from them, which incited Thomas to follow his troubled gaze.

"What's wrong with him?" he asked after noticing what had caught Chuck interest.

Sitting alone and biting his nails, was Newt himself. For the first time since he had showed up in the Box, Thomas was startled by the strange behavior of the Glader. He was the voice of reason, the one who gave the impression to know how to control his emotions more than anyone else in the Glade did. Yet, currently, he seemed to be on the verge of a panic attack.

And surprisingly, he was the one to answer the question directed to Chuck.

"They should have arrived hours ago."

Thomas didn't need a second thought to understand what he was referring to.

"What if they don't arrive on time, and the Walls close? Can't we do someth-" The glare he received from Newt shut him up.

"You still don't seem to understand how things work here. I said it before, and I'll say it again: no one enters the bloody Maze. We can't afford losing anyone else." His voice was harsh, but a hint of desperation was hidden in it, as if he wanted nothing more but to agree with Thomas. "We can only wait for those shanks to come before the bloody Walls close."

-#-

They were not going to make it; there was no way they could arrive on time, as Riley had previously figured. Her muscles were sore, and a shock of pain assaulted her legs with every step she took towards the destination she was certain they were never going to reach. Sweat had already formed on her forehead, and she could feel her dirty, drenched clothes sticking to every inch of her body. Her breath came out in puffs, and she feared her heart would stop at any moment now due to the frenetic way it was throbbing against its cage.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could notice that Minho wasn't feeling any better than she did as he dragged his feet across the path, while both of them did their best to support Alby's weight. But the boy had been stung and wouldn't stop trashing around. From time to time, an agonized scream would leave his lips, which only caused her worry to increase.

What were they going to do if they got stuck in the Maze? _Scratch that; we're already stuck here_, Riley thought.

They rounded the last corner and when the entrance to the Glade came into her sight, relief washed over her. Nevertheless, it went away as fast as it had come, for a shrilled sound echoed throughout the place. In seconds, her face contorted into a panicked grimace and her heart shook in fright.

_Oh please, don't let them close_, she mentally prayed as her eyes fixed on the huge stones before them.

It was then that she noticed someone was there, at the entrance staring at them. Thomas, of course. The idiot was standing there like a bloody slinthead and-

"Shuck!"

Whether it was her who tripped or Minho, she did not know nor did she care as they stumbled towards the awaiting ground. They managed to avoid the impact, but the unexpected motion made Alby slip from their grasp and crash into the hard surface. Immediately, both Gladers began to drag him towards the closing Walls, not bothering to pick him up again.

"Riley… run…" Minho panted heavily, his voice urging. "Save… yourself…at least."

Had she not been so tired, Riley would have laugh. Instead, she merely gave him a hard look while both of them kept trying to move Alby, as fast as their tired arms let them, towards safety.

"No, Tommy, don't you dare!"

She almost dropped Alby's wrist. In fact, both Gladers decided to give up that exact moment and Alby fell down once again. The moment the boy touched the ground, time seemed to stop. The redhead saw everything moving in slow motion.

Scared as hell, she turned around to see Thomas running towards them. At that moment, she could have thrown a rock at his stupid little head for making the mistake that was going cost his life. However, her eyes didn't stop on the Greenie. She watched, prey to panic and fear, as another shadow approached slowly the Walls.

Ironically, the limp Newt carried with him was going to save his life. And, when she realized he wouldn't get to them on time, relief invaded her heart.

However, before she could shake her head and turn back to the important issue in hands, something in her head seemed to crack, and she lost control of her body.

* * *

**Please, review and tell me your opinion; I'm lately feeling kind of discouraged because I'm getting less reviews and don't know if people still read this.**

**EDITED: 10/07/2016**


	6. A Night in the Maze

**A/N:** Thanks a bunch to everyone who read, favorited and followed. A special thank you to everyone who reviewed; you're the reason I try to update this fast!

* * *

**CHAPTER SIX: **

A Night in the Maze

* * *

Everything went quiet, incredibly quiet. It was as though the menacing sound of the Walls closing in front of them had silenced their minds. Truth be told, Riley had momentarily forgotten about Thomas' insanity and didn't even spare him a glance as the boy stumbled over. A strange calm had crashed upon them; plenty of emotions roamed their insides while they tried to understand the dangerous situation they were in.

Blinking slowly, the girl lifted her head towards the end of the colossal stones that surrounded her, unconsciously taking in their details –from the occasional fissures to the vines that crept towards the unreachable sky. Every inch screamed danger, as they all were part of the Maze everyone tried to avoid at night; the same Maze the three Gladers were stuck in.

"Congratulations, your stupid actions are going to cost you your life, shuck-face."

Minho's voice sounded strangely distant, as though he were farther than he actually was. Either way, Riley successfully ignored her annoyed friend and turned her gaze towards the inside of the Maze. It spread itself before her eyes, and the more she stared into it, the more it seemed to sink into darkness.

"I needed to do something!"

"Yeah? Like killing yourself? Because that's what you've done, you slinthead!"

Honestly, Riley wasn't paying her companion any attention, as it was fixed on the open space before them. Her eyes widened so much they could have rolled out of their sockets when she caught a movement in the distance. It had been too fast to rely on her sight, and night was quickly falling upon them, but she could have sworn she had seen something. And she was completely certain she didn't like it in the least.

Her hand flew to her mouth so fast it looked like she had slapped herself. Her eyes were glued on the spot she had witnessed the movement in, and her mind suddenly woke up from its stupor.

"What was I supposed to do, leave you here to die?!"

Neither of the boys noticed her when she tripped over her own feet in a pointless attempt of recoiling to the safety of the corner; they kept arguing like nothing, as though there was nothing lying in wait. But there was, and even though they seemed to be too immersed in their endless argument to realize, Riley was aware as hell.

"Yes! Don't you get it, we're dead anyway!"

"Maybe we could hide somewhere?"

"Somewhere?! Look around you, Greenie, there's nowhere to hide!"

"But-"

Thomas didn't get to finish his sentence, as another voice caused him to stop dead in his tracks.

"Shut up!"

Immediately, both boys turned their attention towards their female companion, who had backed off until her back was pressed against one of the Walls. A curse escaped Minho's mouth before the Glader quickly ran to Riley. Her whole body was shaking, and the boy feared the inevitable.

"Shuck, Riley, fight it!"

But there was no use; she didn't even look at him. Her body kept convulsing, her hands securely gripped the sides of her head, and her eyes were tightly closed. Consequently, Minho began to panic. _We don't have time for another mental breakdown_, he cursed mentally.

"Is it happening again?"

Minho snapped his head towards the curious face of Thomas, who was watching the girl with a frown on his face.

"What do you mean 'again'?" the Glader demanded to know. As far as he was concerned, the boy hadn't been in the Glade long enough to find out about Riley's condition.

"I saw her with Newt," was all Thomas said, and it was enough for the runner to understand.

They were quiet for some seconds, not really knowing what to do and fearing danger would come to them any moment now. Stress was beginning to grow in Minho's heart, yet as much as he was having trouble standing his ground, he couldn't leave her there. Not Riley. Not after everything.

"Newt is the only one who can deal with this klunk in her head," Minho explained, his eyes fixed on his friend's trembling form as she stared at the ground by her feet.

"What does he do? Maybe we can do it too."

An ironic smirk tugged on his lips at that, and he shook his head before glancing back at the Newbie.

"He just talks to her."

"Well we ca-"

Thomas was interrupted again, but this time, it was an annoyed Minho the one who cut him off.

"Do you think we're all shucking idiots, that we've got nothing but klunk in the head?! If it were that simple, it wouldn't be just Newt the one who could snap her out of it!" he snapped, the boundless curiosity of Thomas finally getting to him. "So, if you don't have any useful idea about this, I suggest you shut your shucking mouth right now."

The Greenie held his arms up in defense, before he let them fall by his sides as something came to his mind. Carefully not to surprise the redhead, he took some hesitant steps towards the pair, earning a warning look from Minho.

"Actually, I have an idea," he paused, and frowned. "But I don't think you'll like it."

Watching him closely, Minho arched an eyebrow.

"Look, Greenie, I don't give a klunk so long as she comes back because we're shucking running out of time and I'm going insane!" He gave him a pointed look, as if urging him to do his shit before a Griever found them lazing around.

While the two argued about how to bring their friend back to reality, the girl herself was immersed in her own world of nightmares. The more seconds passed by, the more she lost herself into nothingness.

_How the hell have we let it happen?_

They had been too close, the Walls tempting them from afar just to slam closed when they were about to cross them, leaving a hole of _hopeless_ hope in their hearts. Yet, the sensation felt familiar to Riley, like a déjà vu. Why, she didn't know, for she didn't recall having spent a night in the Maze. What's more: no one had ever survived that. Thus, the situation in hand should be new to her.

Then why did she feel that way?

The girl whimpered, immediately cursing herself for being so weak. While she held a strong façade, she knew it was nothing but a lie. She was broken inside, cursed with a condition that caused her mind to go into a blurred spiral of confusion and chaos that eventually lead her to lose herself into darkness. Unfortunately, the redhead hadn't found the strength in her to overcome the panic and had to rely on others to do it. Of course, there was a piece of her mind that had been erased from her memories, and she couldn't remember who had been the one helping her whenever she had had one of those breakdowns. Everything was blank, and just a word echoed in her head… a voice that called her from the distance.

_Riley_.

Riley shut her eyes tight when the sensation became stronger. Her hands were still pressed against the sides of her head, and she rocked on the spot like a cot.

Death was calling her name, she could feel it. But she couldn't move, she was too frightened to even open her eyes and see the panicked looks on her friends' features. No, Riley didn't dare to glance at them, fearing she would see them cracking into pieces of dead meat the moment she did.

"Just do it, Thomas!"

She did not hear Minho yelling, even though he was just some feet away. She did not hear Thomas approaching, nor did she hear him crouching before her. However, she instantly came back to the real world when the boy planted his lips on hers.

"What the bloody hell?!"

Her surprised shout followed a sequence of curses while the redhead jumped to her feet. On the other hand, Minho seemed to be too shocked about the strange whirl of events, for his jaw dropped and his eyes widened. However, when he overcame the astonishment, an amused grin crept onto his face.

"Damn, if we get out of this shucking place alive, Newt's gonna have your head," he joked, but Thomas feared there was some truth in his words. "I'm glad you're back though, because we need to move now," the runner urged, giving Riley an insistent look.

As if his words had awakened the Maze, a shrilling sound echoed throughout the area, causing the Gladers to jump on the spot. Out of fear, Riley took a step towards her friend, who was staring straight ahead, as if waiting for the source of the terrifying noise to emerge. Cold sweat began to materialize on her whole body, the hairs of her neck stood on end, and she could feel goosebumps forming along her skin. Her stomach dropped when the sound echoed again, leaving a sick feeling that mixed up with the hysteria that kept growing in her heart.

Due to the immense fright, Riley couldn't feel anything else. And, when Minho took off running, she didn't waver and followed him. Not even once did she thought about Thomas, nor did she realize he had been left alone with a badly injured Alby. Instead, she focused on moving her legs as fast as she could, and kept her gaze fixed on the back of her friend the whole time. The least she needed in such dangerous situation was to get lost in a place she had no memories of.

"Riley, don't stop running! We must keep moving!" Minho managed to shout over his shoulder as he rounded another corner.

The girl nodded, even though Minho wasn't looking at her; truth was, she actually did it to encourage herself. They continued running, rounding corners and moving fast. To Riley, everything looked the same, and if it weren't for Minho, she could have thought they were running in circles. But the boy was no idiot, and he knew the Maze like she did the woods of the Glade. The only thing she had to worry about was to keep her friend in her sight, for it could determine her fate.

Ironically enough, the moment the thought crossed her mind, her feet stopped dead in their tracks; they dug into the ground like glue. A frown crept onto her face before it faded to let panic take over when she realized her body was completely still. No matter how hard she tried to lift a foot, to move a finger; it refused to follow her orders. Riley opened her mouth to call out for Minho, who hadn't stopped running and was about to disappear into the darkness of the Maze. However, it was to no avail; no words were articulated, and no sound came out.

_What the hell is happening?!_

To say that she was utterly confused would be an understatement. Riley didn't know how, but she had lost control of her whole being; something was preventing her from going after Minho, as though a pair of invisible hands were holding her on the spot.

But, as soon as the strange resistance had come, it went away, and she regained control of her legs. It felt like a weigh had been lifted from her, like fresh air filling her apparently dried-as-dust lungs. A shaky breath slipped between her lips, and she was about to resume her race against danger when an appalling fact slapped her in the face: there was no trace of Minho around.

It was when she found herself alone that she remembered about Thomas and Alby, and the sudden realization awoke a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. Oh God, she had left them for dead.

A shrilling noise snapped her back to reality, and the concern she had felt towards the Gladers disappeared then and there. Pushing her legs to their limit, Riley took off towards nowhere and everywhere at the same time. The fact that she had was alone scared her to no end, yet she couldn't stop to moan about it. Thus, she placed her thoughts in the back of her head and ran. She rounded a corner, two, and three consecutively before she came to a halt.

_Bloody hell_, the redhead mentally cursed.

A long path stood before her eyes, surrounded by the same walls made of stone and ivies… and concluded in a dead end. Not any dead end, but the one she had had the mental breakdown at, the one where everything had started, the one that separated the Maze from the Glade.

She was standing before the Walls again. Cursing her lack of orientation, Riley took a step back.

Click-click-click-click…

Whirrrrrr.

Click-click-click-click…

Whirrr-click.

The air caught in her throat, drying it instantly. Her heart skipped some beats before it began to palpitate irregularly, prey to fear and anticipation. Riley forced herself to glance behind her, where the source of the sound was becoming stronger by seconds. What she saw though, caused the last bit of bravery to fade in the thin air. A Griever. It stood there, waiting for her to move, at a distance that seemed way too short for her yet it gave her some seconds of advantage. _Advantage for what?_ she couldn't help but think.

_Run._

_But where to?_

_Come on, Riley, you were once a runner, think fast! _

There was nowhere to go, just walls and vines - something enlightened her mind. In a matter of seconds, she was running towards the huge Walls like her life depended on it, which in fact, it did. The shrilling noise made by the Griever was closer and closer, yet Riley made no attempt to look back. She focused on reaching the thick ivies, and when she did, she didn't hesitate to climb up the wall. Fortunately for her, the ivies were strong enough to bear her weight, and she kept going as fast and swift as she was able to.

Click-click-click-click…

The Griever was climbing up the Walls, following her to wherever she went. Oddly enough, it managed to do it better than she could have thought, considering its shape. Riley bit her lip out of anxiety; her hands were starting to hurt, redness colouring the sensitive skin the more they tightly held onto the roughness of the vines. When she was at least twenty feet from the ground, she glanced back. The Griever was too close by then, sticking out its metallic shears and rods and ready to puncture every inch of her body. Quickly, she pulled out the small blade she wisely had decided to bring with her that morning and gripped a strong vine with the other hand, supporting her weight as she positioned herself. Her breath came out in puffs, and her hands were sweaty and shaky. It was now or never.

The moment those metallic things were pulled back into the bulbous body of the Griever, Riley pushed herself up with the hand that held the ivy. In a swift movement, she used the blade to cut the ivies that supported the Griever one by one. However, before she could cut them all, one of the shears of the creature emerged from its body and would have hit her had she not been fast enough to roll away and dodge the attack. Consequently, the girl found herself hanging like a vine itself, swinging around helplessly. The shear went back into the Griever's body, much to her pleasure, and she gritted her teeth due to the infinite effort.

Sweat rolled down her forehead and threatened to sneak into her green eyes, but she paid it no attention and finally managed to stop herself from dangling. Using the last bit of strength she had left, she rapidly placed her feet on the stone and cut the last ivy. What she hadn't been expecting was that last vine to be the one she was holding onto as well.

The next thing she knew, she was falling from the Walls, following the Griever to the unwelcoming ground. No sound escaped her throat as she approached her death. Needless to say, Riley was beyond exhausted; but still, she was not about to let her efforts be to no avail.

Fifteen feet.

She reached out as she fell, trying to get a hold of another ivy. But she was moving too fast, her hands couldn't wrap themselves around any of them.

Ten feet.

_Oh, come on, come on_, Riley implored as her fingertips touched slightly the plants covering the Walls.

Seven feet.

The air stopped cutting across the skin of her face when she managed to finally grab one of the sneaking vines that was more separated from the stone than the rest. A disgusting sound immediately reached her ears though, when the bulbous body of the Griever made contact with the hard ground, splattering the surface with its viscosity. _Gross_.

Riley took a deep breath, her eyes glued on the nasty scene behind her. Nevertheless, she had no time to claim victory, nor did she have time to think about what she had just done. Because, unfortunately, the ivy that had supposedly saved her life was not as stronger as she would have wished for it to be. A snapping sound cut the thin air, and this time, the girl did scream.

-#-

The next morning, there was already a group of Gladers waiting by the closed Walls, Newt included. Truth be told, the boy hadn't been able to sleep that previous night, not even for a sad hour. Every time his eyes closed, the same disturbing image tortured his mind: his friends, lying on the ground in the Maze before him, only for the Walls to close when they were about to reach safety, leaving him standing in the middle of the Glade. He hadn't been able to do anything to prevent such awful situation, yet Newt couldn't help but feel somehow guilty about it.

There was a serious frown plastered on his dirty face, concern written all over it. To be honest, Newt felt his hopes slipping away as seconds went by. He was not pessimistic about the fate of Minho, Riley and the rest; just realistic. The probability of surviving a night in the Maze was almost zero. Yet, there they were; standing by the Walls. Because, somewhere in their hearts, a small inkling of hope shone.

The sound of the Walls opening echoed throughout the Glade as the huge stones began to move. The inside of the Maze greeted him, but his brown eyes were fixed on the terrible scene before him. The ground was splattered with a viscous substance, and some metallic rods were scattered around; utter shock crossed his face as he stared at the dead Griever in disbelief. Nevertheless, when his gaze caught sight of the human body that was lying next to it, panic immediately took over. In a matter of seconds, Newt was running towards it, praying to no one she wasn't dead too. His limp didn't stop him from rushing over, and when he reached her, he crouched down next to the girl.

Her eyes were closed, and she looked lifeless. Newt stretched out a hand to place two fingers on her neck, and a relieved breath escaped his lips when he felt her pulse. It was slow, almost unnoticeable, but it was there; which meant that she was still alive and that was what mattered the most. However, when something wet caressed his fingers, the boy drifted his gaze towards the source of it.

"Med-jack!" he urged, his eyes glued on the amount of dark blood. Taking off his shirt, Newt pressed the cloth against the side of her head in an attempt to stop the blood from seeping out. In seconds, Jeff and Gally were helping him carry her to the Homestead.

_Hold on, Riley._

-#-

Nightmares filled her sleep, each of them including her friends being killed by Grievers. Even the new girl was trapped in the deadly shears of the monstrous creatures. Then came the atrocious deaths of the first Gladers, the ones she had managed to push to the back of her mind. Much to her dismay, something had brought them back. The first days had been as dark as the night itself, and panic had invaded the hearts of everyone, including hers. Each of those deaths visited her, one after another, like a clock.

George, Flint…

_Nick_.

Shears, rods, daggers, the dangerous passage to the inside of the Box, fights between the boys ending in the death of most of them, panic leading the Gladers to the unknown dangers of the Maze…

Thankfully, the horrible scenes disappeared the moment she woke up.

Her eyes fluttered open, and the redhead slowly glanced around before letting out a relieved sigh. There was no one in sight, just four cracked walls and a closed door. It didn't take her long to realize she was in a room in the Homestead. Her heart beat inside its cage, her breath came in and out regularly. She was alive. She had made it. She had survived.

Still in shock and thanking her luck for keeping her alive, Riley pushed herself up and placed her bare feet on the cold, wooden floor. However, the second she stood up, a burning pain attacked her head. Consecutively, she fell back onto the sheets of the bed. A groan escaped her lips, and she touched her aching head, only to make contact with some sort of fabric. It was then that the events of the previous night crossed her mind; she had undoubtedly smashed her head against the ground. Yet still, she had managed not to die; which was actually quite surprising.

"I see you've finally decided to wake up."

Had she not been in so much pain, she would have yelped in surprise. Instead, her eyes drifted towards the person who was standing by the now-open door.

"Alby?" Her voice sounded way too coarse, and she wondered if she had been sleeping just one night. "You're not dead."

The Glader crossed his arms over his chest, and gave her an unamused look.

"You've scared the hell out of us, you slinthead," he casually said, before adding, "Are you going to stand or do you plan on staying in bed the whole day?"

Rolling her eyes, Riley got up from the bed. Her hands gripped her head as if fearing it would fall any moment now, and she calmly made her way to the door.

"I'll go get someone to help you out. I've got some issues that need to be taken care of." And with that, Alby walked away, leaving her with a dumbfounded expression plastered on her face.

After staring out into space for some seconds, Riley eventually shook her head and stepped out of the room. She walked down the narrowed corridor, her bare feet making the wooden floor scream and complain whenever they pressed on it. She wondered how many splinters she would step on, wincing in pain when the second one punctured her skin. If only she had a pair of trainers…

With that thought in mind, she opened the first door she walked by. However, she didn't find what she was looking for; instead, an unexpected sight caught her gaze. With all the events taking place during the last days, Riley had completely forgotten about the strange girl that had arrived to the Glade just after Thomas. Yet, there she was; lying on the same bed in the same position the redhead had left her some days back. Had it not been because of the soft blows of air that wriggled the few locks of black hair covering her mouth, Riley would have presumed her to be dead.

Shaking her head, Riley turned around and was about to leave the room when the girl spoke.

"Thomas."

"What?" Riley blurted out as she rounded on her heels, frowning.

But the girl hadn't moved, and her eyes were still closed. Staring at her, Riley couldn't help but think how the bloody hell she knew about the Greenie. For all she knew, the stranger had been sleeping since she had arrived; therefore, there was no way she could know about Thomas. Then why kept she muttering his name?

Ignoring the pain that assaulted her when she stepped on another splinter, the redhead walked over to the occupied bed. Unconsciously, she found herself glaring at the girl; Riley had said it before: there was something unpleasantly familiar about her. Her green eyes roamed her form, seizing her. Her gaze stopped on the pocket of her jacket, and a frown settled on her face when Riley caught a glimpse of a small bulge. Without hesitation, the redhead reached out and sneaked her hand inside of it. Her fingers wrapped around something thin and cold, and she quickly pulled her hand out of the pocket.

It was a needle, an orange substance floated inside the small tube. But that wasn't what made her freeze on the spot; it was the letters written on it.

**Riley**_._

Her eyes were glued on the white label that had her name printed on it.

"I'm sorry."

The hair of her neck stood up to no end, and Riley swiftly looked at the girl. As expected though, she was still sleeping. Bloody hell, that whole situation was starting to creep Riley out; a nervous chill rolled down her spine.

"Great, you're sorry; that's good… I guess?" And now she was talking to an unconscious person; even the Walls would be better chatters.

Ignoring the girl, Riley glanced down at the needle. No, she was not about to insert some strange serum in her body. There was no way she was going to trust the ones who had put her in that crazy place, the ones who had taken her memories away, and the causers of the constant distress of every one of the Gladers. She wouldn't do it.

Then why was she doing it? Her arms moved on their own accord, and the thin needle punctured the skin of her stomach. Slowly, the orange fluid began to slip inside her body until there was no trace of it in the tube. Just like it had happened in the Maze, she had lost control of her actions; and just like that time, it may cost her life.

Footsteps snapped her out of her thoughts, and she threw the needle under the bed just in time. Chocolate brown eyes bored into her green ones, and everything about the incident with the unknown item disappeared from her mind. Ah, there it was again. The awkward silence, eating away at her and causing her insides to tie in knots. However, this time, something similar to relief filled her heart, remembering the last time she had seen him, he was hopelessly rushing towards her before the Walls closed. For some reason, Riley felt bad for him when she pictured herself in that situation. Unable to reach her friends, knowing they were most likely going to die and left with anguish as her only companion. Too much like her nightmares.

"Are you feeling better?" Newt suddenly asking, breaking the tension in the air.

"Yeah, just dizzy," she said, quickly pulling her gaze away from him.

Newt stared at her closely then, as if looking for something else than dizziness. When he found nothing, a small smile touched his lips.

"Must be the hit in the head, you scared the bloody hell out of us." Then, he handed her a pair of trainers. "Here, we can't have you walking around like that and driving nails on your feet, now can we?"

The teasing tone in his voice was unfamiliar to her, and she couldn't help but find it quite appealing. Smirking slightly, she accepted them before crouching down to put them on.

"Too late for that," she said, glancing up at him as she tied the laces. An amused look crossed her features when she caught him staring at a specific zone of her body. "Enjoying the view?" she asked, amusement dancing in her voice.

Immediately, Newt blinked, as if her words had snapped him out of his trance.

"I don't bloody know what you're talking about," he muttered under his breath, his eyes no longer roaming her figure. Unfortunately for him, his cheeks had gained some colour, and Riley noticed it with pride.

Sighing, the redhead stood up.

"I'd kill for some stew of Frypan, actually."

At that, Newt chuckled.

"You sure you're okay?" Riley rolled her eyes, and glared playfully at him.

"Ha, funny."

Truth was, the redhead was actually beaming inside. She didn't know how, but the relationship with Newt had drastically changed to better. It was as though the Newt standing before her was a different person. And to be honest, she didn't care about reasons.

"Riley, you comin'?"

Newt's voice brought her back to the real world, and she muttered a quick "Yeah," before she followed him out. However, just before she was about to leave the room, the redhead glanced behind her, suddenly remembering about the needle.

Ignoring the pricking in her head, Riley shook it.

_It's probably nothing_, she concluded before resuming her walk.

But she hadn't been more wrong in her life.

-#-

"I swear, it wasn't me who asked for Frypan's bloody stew!"

Riley pouted slightly when the blond let out an amused laugh. Sticking her tongue out at him, she went back to playing with the spoon, wavering it around the nasty-looking food.

"Why can't someone tell him not to mix dog's excrements with edible food?" Someone snorted behind her, and she spun around to find herself face to face with Minho. Her heart fluttered with relief at the sight of the boy, who simply gave her an entertained look.

"We don't even have dogs," he pointed out, sitting down on the bench next to her.

But the redhead was stubborn, and she wouldn't give any of them the pleasure of winning the argument.

"That's because he puts them in the bloody soup."

The boys glanced at each other knowingly before Newt handed her his portion of bread. At that, Riley stopped mulling over Frypan's food and took it.

"You don't mind?" she questioned out of politeness, even though she was crossing the fingers of her toes.

Newt shrugged nonchalantly.

"So long as you stop complaining, I don't mind," he teased.

"Kiss my ass," was the smartest comeback that came to her mind.

Then, she began to devour the bread, not caring about manners. She was hungry as hell, and she would worry about the rest once her stomach stopped grumbling pathetically.

"Oh," Minho decided to use one of his _subtle_ remarks, "Don't ask him twice."

The bread caught in her throat, and she began to cough uncontrollably. _Thankfully_, Minho was there to pat her back and help her out.

_"__You look cute when you're blushing." _

She lifted her head towards Newt.

"What?"

However, the Glader frowned, not understanding the startled look on her face. Consequently, Riley shook her head and rubbed eyes; she had probably imagined it.

_"__Hey, why the sudden pout?"_

She had definitely not imagined it; it had sounded way too real to be imagining it. But, as far as she was concerned, she wasn't pouting.

_"__I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you."_

Looking up again, Riley stared into his confused brown eyes. However, she suddenly understood his astonishment; Newt hadn't moved his lips. Yet, she was sure it was his voice what she kept hearing.

And suddenly, she remembered.

_She was walking through the forest, immersed in her world of thoughts. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Newt frowning, probably wondering why something like that was happening. _

_"__Don't let it get to you, Newtie; this is not your fault."_

_But the boy shook his head dismissively._

_"__I know; I'm just tryin' to understand it."_

_A sad smile tugged on her lips, and she took his hand as an attempt of comforting him._

_"__It's complicated; everything is so confusing… We must stay strong, and hope it all will get better."_

_"__I don't want to bury anyone else."_

_The redhead squeezed his hand, and turned her eyes to the front._

_"__I know." _

Memories flooded her mind, one after another, not giving her time to regain her breath.

_The door snapped open, and Riley turned towards it, startled. The sight that greeted her caused her heart to skip a beat before she quickly helped Alby carry an injured Newt._

_"__What happened?!" she demanded to know, panic filling her insides. _

_It was Newt who replied, a whining sound that accompanied his fatigued expression._

_"__I tripped."_

_At first, Riley didn't say anything; she motioned for Alby to leave the room once the blond was lying on the bed. However, when she started to work on his injure, she gasped at the amount of blood seeping from his ankle._

_"__You broke your ankle because you tripped? You should know better than tryin' to lie to me," she accused, rapidly moving to the other side of the room where she kept the needles and rest of medical items. "You better make up a better excus-"_

_"__I jumped."_

_Riley rounded on her heels so fast she almost _tripped_, her eyes widened and a mixture of shock and hurt plastered on her features. In the beginning, she thought he was joking; but the look on his face told her otherwise._

_"__It's just too much; everything… I hate this bloody place, the Maze, the Grievers… even the Glade," he whispered, looking straight ahead. "I hate the bloody routine, the incessant deaths, the panic."_

_A hand touched his cheek, causing his eyes to drift towards the girl before him. Seriousness was written all over her face, yet there was a glint of sympathy hiding behind that mask._

_"__Say, do you hate Alby? Minho? Me?" She titled her head to stare into his eyes, trying to sow hope in his heart. "I get it; I'm sick of this too. For God's sake, I'm playing medic here!" That brought a small smile to his lips, and she got up to begin to work on his injures. "But there's no use in complaining, Newt; you have to forget about all the reasons why you hate it and focus on the only reason why you love it." Her green gaze bored into his soul, catching his. "You're not alone, Newt."_

_She didn't wait for her words to sink in, as she pulled out a needle and gave him a knowing look._

_"__This is gonna hurt."_

The scene changed then.

_"__Guess what, Newtie."_

_The boy turned around to face the cheerful redhead, a rake gripped in his left hand. Sweat was rolling down his forehead, having been working on the Gardens for hours, and his muscles stretched and contracted due to the effort._

_"__I'm becoming a runner," Riley revealed, looking pleased with herself._

_A frown crept onto his face though, and Newt considered his words before speaking._

_"__Why would you want that?"_

_Riley gazed into his brown eyes, a smile tugged on her lips._

_"__Why did you become a runner? I understand you now; we need to find a way out, and I can't be lazing around while the rest of you wear yourselves out." A playful smirk formed on her mouth then before she took a step closer, and poked him on the nose. "But don't worry, I'll be here to take care of you whenever you need me."_

_And with a wink, she was gone, leaving a flustered Newt behind. _

"Riley!"

Her hands were tightly grasping the sides of her head, as if the pain coming with the sudden assault to her mind would go away just by doing that. Without noticing, she had fallen to the ground, and her knees hurt due to the fall. Eventually, her hands fell to her sides, and she tried to regain her breath. Letting out a heavy sigh, Riley opened her eyes, only to have them greeted by Newt concerned ones. He was watching her closely, his hands placed on her shoulders and panic plastered on his beautiful features.

That expression was quickly replaced by utter shock when Riley opened her mouth and said,

"_Newtie_, why the sudden pout?"

* * *

**Don't forget to review!**

**EDITED: 10/07/2016**


	7. Welcome to Hell

Thank you to everyone who followed and added to favorites, and a special thank you to _thechildofmischief_, _softball007_, _BDM9879_, _Possibility_, _mockingjaybrandbuck_, _EnoraDixon_ and _MustLoveMustyPages_.

* * *

**CHAPTER SEVEN:**

Welcome to Hell

* * *

"W-What?"

Silence among the community of Gladers would be seen as strange and would probably catch the attention of many, considering they were used to be surrounded by an endless whirlwind of noises, those which came from the Gladers themselves and their loud voices as they tried to drown out the terrifying ones coming from the Maze. In fact, they had actually been many the times the boys had purposely let out a forced cough or even a yelp in order to keep the threatening silence away. However, there was one thing that could surprise everyone more than that, and even though it didn't raise fear in their hearts, it did make Minho's eyes widen.

Newt wasn't one to stutter; honestly, the runner didn't recall seeing him at a loss of words, not even once. Yet, Minho decided not to make a snarky comment about it, for he understood his stupor.

_Newtie_.

It was a nickname neither of them had heard in a while, not since she disappeared in the Maze to be exact. It held a special meaning, and Riley had given it to him after many months; when their relationship began to develop into a strong friendship. Thus why Newt was speechless, staring at the girl like she was from another planet. There was something in her eyes that froze him on the spot, a glint that screamed fondness and affection. A feeling the Glader noticed with no delay; after all those months watching those green orbs there was no way something could cross them without him catching. Honestly, Newt didn't know where they came from, but he tried to play it cool and let the nickname slip.

The corner of his lips turned up, forming a small smile that illuminated his face. A blow of air left his mouth then, and relief filled his heart as he watched Riley blink the dizziness away.

"You scared us for a—" He stopped mid-sentence when the girl threw herself at him, latching her arms around his neck and burrowing her head into the crock of his neck. Inhaling a sharp breath, Newt felt his heart skip a beat before it started to beat wildly in his chest, threatening to burst out of it. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Minho lift his thumbs comically at him before retreating until he was out of sight.

Oblivious to everything around her, Riley tightened her grip around him and let a smile touch her face when his arms sneaked around her torso.

"Hug time, huh?" His breath washed over the side of her head as he bent down to whisper in her ear. "Not that I'm complaining, but this position is bloody uncomfortable."

An amused laugh fled from her, causing her body to shake against him, before Riley broke the warm embrace. For a moment, she had forgotten about Newt's injured ankle, yet she put the gloomy feelings that invaded her head aside. Then, not taking her eyes off his, she stood from his bent legs and offered him a hand.

Ignoring the confused expression that crossed his face, she smirked wickedly down at him. "I think this is the first time you complain about that."

His face flushed red within seconds, which only caused her smirk to grow before it slowly fell as Newt began to really process her words. At first, his first reaction had been to chuckle nervously, obviously embarrassed by them. However, realization washed over him like rain, soaking him to the bones, and he quickly got to his feet —almost tripping over in the process. Newt stared at her as she bit her lower lip, casted her eyes down before they drifted up towards his widened ones.

"I'm sorry, Newt," she whispered as she wrapped her arms around her body. "I forgot about you; _those bloody shanks_ made me forget about you. I got a shucking puzzle inside my head, I could've gotten us all outta here. But I didn't. I swear those jerks-" she began to mutter under her breath what possibly was a train of curses.

Ah, that.

Wait.

"What?"

And just like that, her smirk was back.

"You're bloody inspired today, eh?" she said confidently, placing her hands on her hips and furrowing her lips ever so slightly as she thought. "Anyway, call a Gathering; there are some things that need to be revealed."

When Newt didn't move and kept staring at her with conflicted eyes, Riley rolled her own exasperatedly.

"Do I have to do everything?" She huffed, only slightly annoyed before her she ruffled his tousled hair playfully. "Call a bloody Gathering, dummy."

That seemed to snap him out of his trance, for his features furrowed slightly in playful annoyance, and he glared at the amused girl in front of him. Newt hated being called 'dummy', and he was certain she knew that; but, for some reason, Riley seemed unable to stop herself from driving him insane. It irked him somehow, yet there was a part of him that loved to hear those nicknames from her, as they always held some affection.

"Oh, I almost forgot. Where's the Greenie?"

Newt titled his head and shrugged casually.

"Don't know, probably annoying Chuck with more bloody questions." There was a hint of irritation in his voice, and he spoke uncharacteristically harsh. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked away, ignoring the curious, astonished gaze her eyes reflected the entire time.

"O-kay," she spoke slowly while eyeing him with what seemed to be suspicion. But the boy didn't spare her a glance, and even though it hurt her a little, Rachel ignored the feeling and turned around to walk towards the Gardens. Honestly, the redhead didn't feel like starting an argument with Newt; hell, it was the last she wanted to do. "I'm going to look for him."

Newt brought his chocolate gaze back to her, and the noticeable vexation fell from his face like a mask of dust.

"Why?"

Something akin to frustration —or was it nuisance?— crossed her face as her brows creased, and she looked as though the situation didn't please her in the least. After some seconds, the girl ran a hand through her crimson hair and let out a heavy sigh.

"The stupid shuck-face saved my life back in the Maze, so I guess I should thank him?" It definitely sounded more like a question than a statement, and her green gaze fell upon him as if she were asking for his opinion on the matter. However, when Newt grumbled something too low for her to hear under his breath, Riley rolled her eyes dramatically and shook her head out of exasperation. "Whatever. I'll see you in a bit."

She didn't have a clue as to why the boy was acting like a five-year-old child, with his lips pursed into an angry pout and his eyes sparking with aggravation. But, as said before, Riley wasn't in the mood to fight over his childish attitude; not after having her memories back. Thus why she rounded on her heels and walked away, leaving the annoyed blond alone with his trouble.

To be honest, it felt like a heavy weight had been lifted from her shoulders —from her head, to be exact. In the course of the days she had been in the Glade for the _second_ time, Riley had been swimming in the darkness, void of the memories everyone seemed to have about her. Frustration had become her best friend, and no matter how hard she had tried, nothing about her life in the Glade had come to her mind. No. That wasn't entirely true. In fact, the girl could remember everything about the Glade, about the Gladers, and she had had no problem memorizing the moments she had shared with them. It was what she had forgotten what had raised surprise and confusion in her heart; or, to be more accurate, the _specific_ memories that had been erased from her mind. In the end, Riley had stopped fighting.

But, it was different now. She remembered; and therefore, she could wonder about the reason as to why those morons of WICKED had decided to take them away. However, the more she thought about it, the less she understood.

Her feet dragged her across the green grass of the Gardens, avoiding the weeds crops and the Gladers working on them, as her eyes stared straight off in the distance.

_Was there really a reason?_ If there was, she could not find it. It actually had no sense; it was pointless to her. Because, even when she tried to put herself in their shoes, she couldn't even construct a good enough argument to justify anything. And, if such action had no purpose at all, then they had done it for their own enjoyment. The simple thought made her blood run cold, and her fists clenched in pure rage.

They were playing with her.

"Riley?"

The girl blinked away her trance and fixed her gaze on Chuck's chubby, furrowed face.

"You're bleeding," he stated, before he pointed to one of her clenched hands.

And, indeed, bleeding she was. Small droplets of crimson blood seeped between her fingers, painting her hands red. Instantly, Riley unclenched her hands and, sure enough, there were marks decorating her skin. She made a mental note to cut her nails later that day before she was given the name of _Catwoman_.

"Are you okay?" Chuck asked, still staring at her as if she were about to go mad and slash his neck.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Anyway, where's Thomas?" She frowned, slightly bemused.

Yet a small grin touched the boy's face, before he chuckled and signaled for her to look behind. And there Thomas was, standing behind her and looking somewhat surprised by her presence. Ignoring that, Riley placed both hands on her hips and took a step forward, consequently causing the boy to visibly flinch.

"I guess I should thank you for saving my life," she commented, although she didn't sound grateful at all. Thomas relaxed almost immediately, but before he could even open his mouth to dismiss the apology, Riley wrapped her hand around the front of his shirt and pulled him towards her face. Her eyes sparkled menacingly, the corner of her lips turned up ever so slightly, and her breath washed over his face when she whispered, "There's only one person that can touch my lips, or anything aside from my hands for the matter." Now that made Thomas blush, even though he tried to erase the indecent images from his mind as she pushed him back. "And that's Chuck."

"W-What?" Poor Chuck was speechless, his face matching her hair within seconds before Riley barked a laugh.

"I'm bloody kidding, you idiots," she suddenly exclaimed as her body shook due to the amused chuckles that she tried to suppress —to no avail, of course. Then, Riley dragged in a deep breath and gave Thomas a knowing look. "But I've made myself clear, right?"

While trying to hide the blush on his cheeks, Thomas nodded rapidly.

"Only Newt can touch you," he said before he could stop himself, which earned him a humorous laugh from the redhead.

"Bloody hell, Thomas, I don't shucking know if I should punch you or high five you."

"I'd actually prefer the high five, to be quite honest," he admitted.

A grin tugged at the corner of her lips as Riley watched the boy fidget uncomfortably; he reeked of anxiety, and she was enjoying every second of it. Finally, she clapped her hands, as though she had come to a conclusion.

"I like you," she said bluntly, which brought a smile to his face.

However, before either of them could say something else, a voice cut in.

"Riley." Newt walked over to her, stepping around Thomas. Once again, his voice sounded serious, harsh even, and she didn't miss the disgruntled glance he gifted Thomas with. "Everyone's waiting."

"Well then, let's go," she said, waving goodbye to Chuck and heading the Homestead.

Newt watched her as she walked away, his features softening considerably, before he turned to Thomas and glared at him.

"Don't stand there like a shucking shank; you're coming too."

-#-

"How nice of you to finally join us, slinthead," was the welcome Minho awarded her with the moment she stepped in, to which she could only roll her eyes and stuck her tongue at him like a kid would do.

The Keepers were already sitting on each of the chairs. Zart gave her a soft smile, but other than that, everyone seemed to be growing more impatient as seconds went by. Not to blame them though, but Riley didn't know they were going to respond that fast to her request. There was a vacant chair in the middle of the room, and she made her way towards it before plopping down on it.

"Thomas, you can sit down on the floor," Newt commented, paying him no attention as he pointed to the spot by the now closed door. That earned him some bewildered looks, but he paid them no mind and crossed his arms over his chest. Once again, his face was twisted into an annoyed expression, fury illuminated his eyes, and his hands were slightly clenched, nails digging into the bare skin of his muscled arms.

Honestly, his attitude was starting to get on her nerves. Yet, she had only two seconds to glare at him before Alby grabbed her attention.

"You can start talking now," he said, his voice serious and his gaze scrutinizing.

Riley bit down a bitter comment and leaned back against the chair.

"Thank you." Looks like she didn't bit enough. Ignoring the disapproving look given by Alby, the girl cleared her throat. "They are watching us, examining our attributes and playing with our minds to their own purpose," she began, closing her eyes to avoid the suspicious expressions crossing the faces of the Gladers as she continued, "They put us here to test us. The Maze is a bloody puzzle; we already know that. But it's also a trial. They expect us to solve it, to escape it." She really didn't know how to explain herself, but shook her head and opened her eyes. "They are shucking playing with us."

The room remained silent for some seconds as confusion and surprise filled it, causing the atmosphere to turn cold and tense. Slowly, Riley took her time to glance at each of them, only to find nothing but arched brows and furrowed faces. What took her by surprise was the look on Alby's face. The Glader was giving her a stare that screamed understanding, and she could swear there was a small smile stretched across his face, almost unnoticeable.

"Who are they?" Frypan finally asked.

Riley took a breath in.

"WICKED," she replied, and before any of them could ask again, she added, "I don't really know who they are."

"And how do you know that all of sudden?"

The girl turned her head towards the boy before her. Newt hadn't taken his eyes off her during her little speech, not for a single second. He had listened to each of her words, and the more she spoke, the more something inside him had grown until it was actually eating at his stomach. Hope. Truth be told, the blond stopped praying for her to come back before exhaustion managed to drain his last bit of energy. Yet, ever since Riley had latched herself at him that same day, his energy had somehow filled his body. It had been almost magical. But he was not to blame, for everything she had said back then had taken him to the beginning of his days in the Glade.

Currently, Newt stared at her with crushing passion; his eyes glowed in the darkness of the room. He was sitting on the end of his chair, almost about to fall forward, and his hands were placed on his knees, one of which wouldn't stop bumping. The sight caused her lips to turn up into a soft smile.

Then, she spoke the words Newt had been waiting to hear for days.

"I remember."

His eyes grew wide and he stood there, gaping like a fish out of the sea. Honestly, Newt didn't know what to do. Of course, his first instinct had been to jump to his feet, but he didn't approach her. Normally, he would have knocked everything in his way to get to her. However, the tight smile that crossed her lips was enough to make him stop. She cleared her throat and ran a hand through her hair, letting it fall carelessly over her shoulders.

As much as the girl wanted to be with him at that moment, she was aware of the situation at hand; there were other things they had to take care of first.

She rubbed her face then. "I don't know, I just took this needle—"

"Wait, you injected some strange needle in your body?" Newt exclaimed, interrupting her, his tone almost disappointed.

"Yes, it wasn't as if you had done something for me to remember," she accused, but immediately flinched. "Sorry, that wasn't fair."

Thankfully, their little chat came to an end when the Gladers began to comment about her speech.

"To be honest, I don't give a klunk about those guys, WICKED or whatever," Minho confessed, breaking the heavy silence that had fallen upon them.

"Same here." Frypan lifted a hand and waved it around in dismissal. "I mean, we could use that information but I don't care about the reason I'm here."

"Yeah, although what you've said about those shuck-faces watching us like we're a shucking show annoys me to no end." Minho crossed his arms over his chest and pursed his lips into an angry grimace. "I cannot wait to get the hell outta here and punch those shucking shuck-faces to death."

Someone clapped their hands, effortlessly attracting the attention of everyone.

"Let's stay calm, shanks," Alby said before he sighed. "I also have some things to say. I went through the Changing and—" He stopped dead in his tracks when the remembrance of what had happened last time he talked about it invaded his mind. _They_ had taken control of his body, driving him to try to suffocate himself and almost succeeding. Needless to say, the boy didn't feel like going through that again. After some seconds, he shook his head and turned to Newt, who sat next to him. "I'm gonna go take some air."

Without giving anyone room to argue, Alby rushed out. Riley frowned, confused, but drifted her eyes towards Newt. The boy was staring off into space. Oddly enough, no one spoke a word; the strange behaviour of their leader had shocked them way too much.

Finally, Newt snapped out of his trail of thoughts and cleared his throat.

"Let's move on to the next matter," he spoke firmly. "Tommy."

Before he could motion her to stand, Riley got up, advanced towards Alby's seat and sat down.

"You all know how this works," Newt began, his voice grumpy as if the last thing he wanted to do was to be there. "We'll take turns to speak, opine or whatever the shuck you want to do. I don't bloody care. We are here to decide this Greenie's fate."

Some seats away from hers, Gally snorted. Frankly, she had forgotten he was there too.

"He's not a Greenbean anymore," he stated, his voice harsh and low. "Just some shank who broke the rules."

"Gally, shut your shucking mouth. I'm not in the bloody mood to deal with your temper tantrums right now," Newt snapped.

Although Gally didn't seem to appreciate his words, Riley surely had. A smirk tugged at the corner of her lips, but it quickly faded when Newt turned his head to Thomas.

"Zart, you can start."

One after another, the Keepers spoke their opinion about Thomas out loud. As expected, there were a lot of arguments; and much to Thomas' relief, there weren't too many against him. In fact, many Gladers seemed to have high expectative about him, which surprised Riley more than she would admit. She listened to each of them, nodding or shaking her head when time called for it. Finally, her eyes landed on the furrowed expression on Gally's face.

"Even though my opinion is quite clear, I want to say something."

"That's what you're supposed to do in your shucking turn," Minho commented sarcastically, and Newt rolled his eyes.

"Think about it," Gally started, ignoring him. "This shuck face shows up in the Box, and suddenly everything changes."

"What are you trying to say?" Newt urged, and it was obvious he was starting to grow impatient.

"He's a spy," Gally said bluntly, which earned him too many whispers to count. For some reason, that caught Riley's attention, and she leaned slightly forward. "Riley's said it before; they are watching us. We can't trust this slinthead! Then there's the girl, the shucking psychopath shows up saying nonsense. A lot of things are changing ever since the Greenbean turned up, and you can't deny it."

Oddly, no one said a word after his speech. Silence flooded the room, attempting to suffocate them with tension as they mulled over his words. Riley was in deep thought; something in Gally's words had raised doubt in her heart. Especially when he mentioned the girl, Teresa. Yes, Rachel was very aware of her existence, but decided not to speak about it for the time being.

"Minho, it's your turn."

The runner stood to his feet, and simply said, "I suggest he replaces me as Keeper of the runners."

Now that did cause a commotion. Voices erupted in the room, and some of the Gladers got up to yell at each other. Frypan began clapping, and Riley could only huff in exasperation.

"You've got to be joking," she mumbled, unable to understand the purpose of his great friend.

Newt was the only one who tried to make everyone stop. As expected, they paid him no attention. Pinching the brick of her nose, Riley stood up and decided to do it herself.

"Enough!" she exclaimed at the top of her lungs, causing everyone to turn towards her. "You've done it, congratulations. You're all a bunch of children who try to play adults, but obviously, you're failing."

"She's right, shuck." Newt rubbed his face with his big hands. "Act like the adults you are, or we vanish the bloody council and start over again."

"Why don't we hear your opinion, Riley? You were in the Maze as well," Frypan suggested as an attempt to warm up the cold atmosphere surrounding them.

Unintentionally, Riley glanced over at Newt, who was already watching her and simply nodded. She sighed.

"I didn't spend that bloody night with them; I kind of lost myself while running after Minho." Said runner looked away, ashamed. "But he did save my life; even though I don't really approve his methods."

Besides her, Newt mumbled something under his breath.

"Truth is, he's changing things. I don't know if it's for good or not; but I agree with Gally on that." That earned her some shocked looks, which she ignored. "But, I think we should use him. He's done some serious klunk out there, and I don't really think we can afford rejecting help at this point."

Her words seemed to sink into their heads, as some of them nodded. Even Thomas, from his spot in the middle of the room, looked to be relieved and gave her a smile of gratitude. However, a humourless laugh echoed throughout the place, bringing their attention to the raven-haired builder.

"You don't get to give your opinion on this matter!" Gally shouted, infuriated. "For all we know, you could be a spy as well. Where have you been all these months?! I don't believe any shucking word you say. You're nothing but a liar and a b—"

Minho punched him in the face, causing him to stumble backwards and fall over. Hell broke loose. Within seconds, Riley ran at him in an attempt to follow Minho's actions. However, before she could move a finger, arms wrapped around her waist, holding her in place. She struggled against Newt, begging for him to let her launch herself at the bloody shank to no avail. From the corner of her eye, she could see Frypan and Zart doing the same with Minho while Winston helped Gally to his feet. The builder swatted his hand away though, before he drifted his eyes towards the runner.

"Don't you ever lay a finger on me again, shuck face," he threatened, his eyes sparking with fury. Then, he turned to Newt. "I know you don't like me, you never did. And I'll shucking pray for Alby to come back soon, because you're worthless. You're a disgrace to this council!"

Rage flowed down her veins, and she gritted her teeth. Riley could feel his arms flattering a bit, before Newt tightened his grip around her, as if seeking for comfort. Watching Gally ran out of the room, she was tempted to follow him to murder him for being such an asshole. There were things Newt shouldn't be hearing, not after everything he had gone through. Those words had snapped something in her mind, and she knew she had never hated someone so much in her short life.

"That shucking shuck face, I'm gonna kill him!" Minho yelled, finally breaking free before he rushed out.

Soon enough, the Gladers were gone and only Thomas remained still. Riley, titling her head to him, said, "Thomas, you can leave now. Chuck's probably waiting for you."

He didn't need to hear it twice, as he quickly jumped to his feet and walked out. Letting out a sigh, Riley wrapped her fingers around Newt's arms and caressed the skin lightly. They sat in silence for some minutes, just breathing in the company provided by one another.

"You know it's not true, don't you?" she whispered when he bent forward, his forehead coming to lay on her shoulder. Slowly, she stroked his tousled hair and tried to pay no mind to the droplets of water falling on her shoulder. "Newt, I don't need to tell you how amazing you are, do I?"

"No, but it's always good to hear," he commented, which only earned him an amused laugh.

Riley let a smile touch her lips when his breath soaked her neck as he nuzzled his head in the crock between it and her shoulder. A content sigh escaped her parted mouth before she rounded on her heels, his arms still wrapped around her frame. The sight managed to break her heart a bit, and the smile slipped from her face. His features were calm, and his eyes shimmered with tears while showing the exhaustion of his mind. Newt stared down into her green gaze as she wiped his wet cheeks with her fingertips, and got lost in it.

"You _are_ amazing," she repeated, firmly. "You've gone through things no one should, and you still put on that bloody smile of yours like everything's fine." Her hand cupped one of his cheeks, and she placed the other over his heart. The corner of her lips turned up ever so slightly when she felt it beating wildly under her touch. "You nervous?"

Ah, there it was. The playfulness he loved so much.

"Should I be?" he asked, eyeing her closely and bending down to lean his forehead on hers.

Their noses touched lightly, and her arms sneaked around his neck. His eyes never left hers as he placed one large hand on the back of her neck, his fingers instantly intertwining with his red velvet locks. However, before he could lean in and bring her lips to his, someone walked in.

"Oh, shuck, sorry!" Minho shouted, his hands already covering his eyes as if that could hide him. "I didn't see anything!"

Grunting something under his breath, Newt glared daggers at the boy and stepped away from Riley, who looked amused by her friend's behavior. She shook her head and placed her hands on her hips.

"The bloody hell you want now, Minho?"

"Is it safe to look?"

"No, you can start to blindly walk around the room and hopefully you'll stab your foot on a metal table," she replied and rolled her eyes, to which Minho muttered something too low for her to hear.

"We don't even have those," he said as he uncovered his eyes to give her a look.

Her lips stretched into a smirk.

"Not that you know of."

Newt ran a hand through his blond hair, touched his lips casually and crossed his arms over his chest.

"What is it?"

Minho glared at the girl before turning his head to Newt.

"Gally's gone; we've looked for him everywhere," he explained.

Much to his surprise —or not—, Riley shrugged nonchalantly.

"Is it really a bad thing, I wonder?"

Rolling his eyes dramatically, Minho gave her another pointed look.

"There's something else though." After receiving the expectants stares of his friends, who seemed to be still annoyed by his interruption, he stated, "The girl's woken up."

Teresa. To be quite honest, with the commotion about Gally, she had almost forgotten about her. Thus why when Minho said that, Riley immediately tensed. Anger began to boil through her veins, and her hands fisted for a second before she put on the calmest expression she could.

"Has she talked to anyone?" Newt asked and began to head the door.

Fortunately for her, Minho shook his head no.

"Wait, Newt," she called out as she rushed out to follow him. "She's probably confused as hell. It'd be best if I go first. You know, talk to her from girl to girl."

The boy observed her for some seconds, and she could almost hear the gears turning in his head as he thought. Finally, Newt gave in and nodded. To be fair, he had no knowledge about girls aside from what he had learned by living with Riley, so he didn't have a real reason as to why her theory could be wrong.

Smiling gratefully, the redhead lifted her head towards his and placed a soft kiss on the corner of his mouth, lightly touching the sensitive skin with playfulness. Then, she walked to the room Teresa was waiting in.

And, as she stepped in, no one saw the glint of fury in her eyes. And, certainly, no one caught a glimpse of the small, yet sharp-edged dagger hidden in her sleeve.

* * *

**IMPORTANT: **I've published a **prequel** to this story regarding Newt and Riley's past. It's **VERY important** if you want to understand their relationship and some parts of this story.

You can find the prequel on my profile page under the name of **_Bloody Maze._** Chapters one and two are already up.

**EDITED: 10/07/2016**


	8. Rampage

**CHAPTER EIGHT:**

Rampage

* * *

A sly smirk tugged at the corner of his lips as Minho watched his friend's gaze linger on her from afar. When the redhead stepped into the room and once the door closed behind her, Newt snapped out of it, shook his head and casted a glance at Minho, only to find the boy staring knowingly at him.

"Don't," Newt warned while pointing an accusative finger at the smirking runner, who merely lifted his hands and feigned innocence.

"I wasn't going to say anything," he assured, but the look in his eyes gave him away, which ended up in Newt glaring silently at him before both Gladers began to make their way out. "You're so wrapped up around her finger. Reminds me of good ol' times."

"Slim it," came Newt's reply.

The blond tried to walk faster then, a pointless attempt to leave the annoying boy behind. However, as expected, his limp didn't let him and he couldn't help but curse silently.

"Don't get your pants in a twist," Minho chuckled, and added: "Not yet, at least."

He was surely having too much fun despite Newt's growing annoyance at him. When he got nothing but silence, a frown crept onto his forehead before his eyes glanced at Newt. The boy's features had hardened considerably; anger was written all over his face. Oddly enough, the glare drawn in his eyes wasn't directed at Minho, but at _something_ located some paces away from where they stood. Following his gaze, Minho found himself looking straight at the Greenie, who was calmly talking to Chuck near the Gardens.

"What'd that shuck-face do now?" he asked exasperatedly, sighing loudly through his nose.

But Newt remained silent, still glaring at Thomas as though he hadn't heard a word he'd said. That was enough for Minho to understand, and realization hit him hard. Immediately, chuckles began to escape his mouth, loud enough for Newt to snap out of it.

"What the bloody hell is wrong with you?" Newt asked, his words coming out in an irritated mumble.

Giving him an amused look, Minho crossed his arms over his toned chest and arched a brow at him knowingly.

"What the _bloody_ hell is wrong with _you_," he mimicked before he shook his head exasperatedly. "You know, he's not going to burst into flames but you'll shucking give him the creeps if he catches that glare of yours, shank."

Newt rolled his eyes. "Yeah. Whatever."

"I don't know why you're making a shucking fuss out of this. So the Greenie kissed her, and that saved her life," Minho stated. "I get it, it irks you. Fine. But you're acting like a shucking five-year-old child whose candy got stolen." He was starting to get angry as well and matched Newt's glare with one of his own. "Shuck, your candy's still there, in case you haven't noticed. If you really are scared about the Greenie taking her away, you've got a shucking problem in that shucking head of yours. Get a grip, shank."

But if Minho's words were supposed to calm him down, they didn't work. In fact, they did the opposite. Sending him one last glare, Newt stormed off, headed wherever he wasn't going to be scolded by someone else.

"You obviously don't get it."

-#-

Meanwhile, Riley had stepped into the room Teresa was, and by the time the door closed behind her, her green eyes were already staring coldly at the girl. She was sitting on an unmade bed, her legs stretched before her and over the white sheets. Her pale features were furrowed in confusion and distrust, and her bright blue eyes turned to the redhead the second she walked in. The mere sight of the girl infuriated Riley, who clenched her jaw and didn't bother to stop glaring daggers at her, for she knew that would raise her suspicion. Whether that was good or not, Riley could care less.

"How are you managing?" she casually asked whilst she approached her, her footsteps causing the wooden beneath her to crack in protest.

Teresa didn't respond at first and continued staring at her with distrust, but as seconds went by and the silence began to turn cold and tense, the girl decided to break it.

"I remember you," she said, stopping Riley mid-track when she was about to stretch her arms over her head.

Slowly letting her arms fall by her sides, the redhead titled her head and studied Teresa with scrutinizing eyes, as if she were trying to figure her out. After some seconds, the corner of her lips lifted into a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. Humming randomly, Riley clapped her hands, seeming pleased.

"Well then, that will save me a lot of time and pointless conversations," she declared, before she swiftly pulled out the small dagger she carried in her sleeve. Then, as though it had been figment of her imagination, Teresa watched as the fake smile fell and her features hardened. "I expect you to answer my bloody questions."

Instantly, the atmosphere became so tense and cold; intense. Both girls stared at each other down, calculating and on guard. However, Teresa surprised her again.

"I don't really remember you," she began as she slowly worked her way out of the bed. "I just remember feelings; sensations."

It was like a trigger had been pulled, like a piece of meat throwing lions into a fight so they could keep it to them. Maybe it was those last words of Teresa; maybe not. If asked, Riley would have said something like 'her voice was bloody infuriating' or 'she was breathing too loudly'. Honestly, she was so furious it had come to the point that she suddenly stopped caring about consequences and launched herself at the girl. She didn't remember her? Just like that, as if her actions had been meant to do nothing but hurt Riley, she had forgotten about everything. Needless to say, the fact irked Rachel to no end. And even though she knew it wasn't her fault, but WICKED's, Teresa had still been the one causing the pain of losing her memories.

Her back slammed against one of the walls so hard it surprised her it didn't crumble at their feet. Of course, Teresa always knew had to put up a fight. Again, Riley pushed herself from the wall and managed to throw a punch at her. She was seeing red, her teeth gritted and pure rage and hatred greeted Teresa when the redhead looked back at her. She was out of control, like a wild animal. Thankfully, the knife had somehow flown out of her reach, and it lay innocently by the bed. But Riley didn't ever bother to go get it back, too busy punching and kicking as much as she could. Teresa's foot made contact with the back of her knee and she fell to the ground, dragging the girl with her. They rolled across the room, and not even when something sank into her lower back did Riley stop. With a grunt, she managed to tackle Teresa and pressed her hands around her throat.

"I don't give a bloody klunk about what you remember," she hissed as she applied pressure, ignoring the blood rolling down her wrists when Teresa sank her nails into the flesh. "I don't shucking care! But what you did—I trusted you! You played me, faked concern when I finally told you about my life in the Glade—" Her throat tightened and Rachel found herself fighting back tears; something she hadn't done in months.

Teresa gasped for breath when the pressure around her throat flattered, and her hands dropped to the sides. Her blue eyes met her angry ones, and she immediately knew Riley could have killed her but something had somehow stopped her from doing so.

"I—" Teresa coughed and cleared her throat, trying to dissipate the dryness. "I don't know what I did to you. But I'm… sorry, I guess. As I said, I remember feelings and such." Ignoring the questioning look sent to her, she continued: "I know you're speaking the truth."

"How?" Riley asked quickly.

"Because when I look at you I feel guilt," she responded truthfully, yet her gaze remained alert to every movement.

Her features relaxed for a second, and Riley actually looked like she was about to stop attacking her when something caught her gaze. Her green eyes scanned the black letters written on Teresa's arm; they were curved, rushed even. The moment she read the words, her muscled tensed again. Yet, this time, a sarcastic smirk touched her lips.

"WICKED is good," she read, hate and disgust impregnating each word. Her green eyes glared coldly at her just when the door burst open. Ignoring the rapid footsteps of the Gladers entering the room and running at her, she spited out just over the letters. "I hope that guilt you feel eats you up," she snarled.

Her blue eyes glared up at her in outrage, and before Riley could attempt to try to suffocate the girl again, Teresa kicked her on the side. Consequently, the redhead rolled off with a pained grunt. Her back crashed on the wooden floor, the hit bringing a hiss out of her as something began to soak the back of her shirt. Tons of curses were heard, but neither of them paid them any attention as Teresa quickly pounced on her. While trashing around the ground, Teresa managed to lay a punch on her mouth and soon enough, the distinguished flavor of blood invaded her senses.

"Enough!" Minho appeared out of nowhere, grabbing Riley by the arms and yanking her off Teresa, who was being held down by two other Gladers as well. "Riley, calm dow—shuck!" he cursed out loud when the girl's elbow connected with his stomach, yet he managed to keep his arms around her so that she wouldn't go after Teresa.

But her green eyes were fixed on the girl before her, glaring and full of hate. It was a look that scared the runner, who couldn't help but wonder where it was coming from. Truth be told, everyone in the Glade knew Riley's temperament and most of them had seen her getting into fights from time to time. However, those fights had been more like arguments which ended in her storming off, and turning up some hours later. Thus why he was startled.

Another grunt escaped his mouth when the back of her hand slapped him in the face, and Minho decided he had had enough. Turning Riley away from the other girl, he began to drag her out of the room with noticeable difficulties.

"Shuck, Riley, stop being a shucking pain in the ass!" he demanded, annoyed at his friend. Much to his dismay —but not to his surprise—, Riley threw her arms forward and placed both hands at the sides of the door to prevent him from pushing her through. "Are you shucking kidding me?! Thomas—" He seemed to rethink what he was about to say. "Help me get her out. Zart, go get Newt!"

The Glader flew past them within seconds, slipping between Riley and the wall to rush out. Meanwhile, Thomas had quickly run to her and started to yank her hands out of the frame of the door. A disgusting sound echoed throughout the place when her nails clawed at the wood, but they were too occupied watching in horror how Riley was acting. It was as though she had turned into a wild animal, with her eyes hard as stones and her bloodied mouth showing them her gritted teeth.

"Riley, you need to calm the shuck down!" Minho shouted over her angry cries of protest as he and Thomas finally dragged her out.

The cold breeze of the night washed over her like a wave of fresh water, immediately sobering her up. Her legs stopped kicking around, and she let the boys take her to wherever they wanted. Taking a gulp of air, she closed her eyes for a moment. She let the darkness engulf her whole being as her mind went blank, avoiding thoughts regarding the situation happening some minutes back. Slowly, as seconds went by, the anger that roamed her veins began to fade, which gave her a moment to relax. She tried not to think, for she knew it'd be useless to get annoyed at the moment being.

"Minho, what happened?"

His voice slipped through her ears, awakening her from that short moment of calm. It was the look of utter confusion and worry shining in his brown eyes what made her feel ashamed of what she had done. Newt frowned slightly when the redhead turned her head away, refusing to look at him. For a moment, she could feel his stare, roaming her face and wounds, before his gaze darted to the two boys.

"She got into a shucking fight with the new girl," Minho explained, his voice irritated and tired. Then, he shook his head, disappointed. "Almost killed her."

"What?" Newt blurted out, taken by utter astonishment. Once again, his attention went back to Riley, whose features had furrowed, and arched an eyebrow. "Why?"

Yanking herself out of the boys' grasp, she straightened before shooting Minho a look when he approached her to grab her again.

"I'm not going to go back, don't worry."

It was true; the least thing she wanted to do was to see Teresa. In fact, now that she had blown off steam, she'd be fine if the _traitor_ disappeared; which Riley doubted would happen. Still, Minho's shoulders were tensed, as if he expected her to run off any time now.

"Look, I didn't tell you everything back in the Gathering," she confessed, running a hand through her messy hair while doing so. That earned her curious gazes, which she decided to ignore as she glanced around the dark Glade. "Truth is, I don't remember how I got there. I was just running, heading the Glade after another bloody day in the Maze, when I suddenly started to feel dizzy and blacked out. When I woke up, I was lying on a bed in a white room. I wasn't alone."

"Teresa," Thomas guessed, interrupting her but quickly regretting it as it earned him a glare.

Riley decided not to ask him about it, yet she couldn't help but wonder how he knew her name. Giving him a hard look, she crossed her arms over her chest and scrutinized him long enough to make him shuffle uncomfortably.

"I immediately began to ask her about everything, but the shucking girl said she had been inside that room for what seemed forever." She rolled her eyes. "It was probably that bloody feeling of sympathy what caused me to open up to her, thus becoming shucking _friends_ with her. I didn't leave the room, just to go to the shucking bathroom. And neither did she; or so I thought at first." The salty flavor of blood slipped into her mouth again, and she ran her tongue across her split lip. "I caught her sneaking out when she thought I was asleep and affronted her. But she said she was being forced to do what she was doing, and to prove so, she gave something to me." Her gaze dropped to her feet, as if the memory pained her. "Said I was being watched by WICKED, and the serum would prevent that while I escaped." Riley looked up then, and her eyes met Newt's brown ones with noticeable desperation. "It erased my memories."

Silence crashed upon them when she was done with the story, and it stayed there while the Gladers thought it over. Minho wasn't happy, and she could see it in his face as he frowned angrily. Thomas was frowning as well, but it seemed to be out of confusion; as though he were having trouble believing her. And Newt… he was smiling sadly at her.

"It doesn't matter now, you know," he finally said, rubbing his face while doing so. "It bloody sucks, and the fact that she's done that irritates me. But I don't think it's her fault."

Riley blinked.

"What?" she asked, facing him with an unpleased expression on her face. "Are you actually defending her?"

"No, I'm just saying she was probably speaking the truth when she told you she was being forced," Newt retorted. "She cannot be the one who came up with that bloody plan."

The girl stared at him hard, her green eyes observing him closely for the following minutes. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Newt, out of all of people, should've been the one supporting her about that. Yet there he was, defending Teresa like she was an angel.

"You know what? It's been a bloody long day, I'm off to sleep," she announced hastily, before she rounded on her heels and walked away, heading the woods.

The boys stared after her for some seconds, unable to do something to stop her. Finally, Newt gave out a heavy sigh, one that reflected the exhaustion he was feeling after so many events. Waving goodbye, he began to follow Riley, refusing to leave the argument like that. For the love of God, she had just gotten back her memories and wasn't going to escape him that easily. However, when he had taken some steps towards her, he stopped and turned back to them. He seemed to think before his gaze fell upon Thomas and pointed to Riley, whose shape was fading into the darkness of the night.

"You see her?" A serious expression crossed his dirty features as he stared at him. "She's mine. With that bloody temperament and all. That girl is mine. Got it, Tommy?"

"I—"

"Got it, Tommy?"

"Yes."

The corner of his lips turned into a satisfied smirk.

"Good that." Before walking off, the blond turned towards his close friend and gave him an apologetic look. "Sorry about earlier, shank."

Minho merely waved him off, an amused smile plastered on his lips after watching the small interaction between the Greenie and him.

"Don't sweat it."

* * *

I know it's a short one, but I haven't been home so much lately. Next one will be definitely longer, and will have some interesting interactions between Teresa and Riley.

Review! They are such an encouragement to update soon :) And don't forget to check out the prequel!

**EDITED: 10/07/2016**


	9. Consequences

I am so sorry for the delay, but this summer has been crazy and I haven't been home for more than a week per month. Anyway, my holidays are over and I'll be updating this more often. So, I hope you all like this chapter and please, tell me what you think!

**CHAPTER NINE:**

Consequences

* * *

A grumpy, quiet Newt sat at one of the tables that were scattered outside the kitchens. He hadn't said a word to any of the Gladers, and no one had tried to approach him; no one who was totally compos mentis.

"So, how bad is it?" Minho asked as he took the empty seat besides the blond, a red apple dancing in his hand. When he received a sour glance as response, the runner hummed in understanding. "That bad, uh?"

Running a hand through his tousled hair, Newt let out a heavy sigh and shook his head.

"I didn't talk to her," he confessed, which earned hm a questioning look from his friend. "I looked for her, but didn't find her. So it's not like I had a bloody choice in the matter."

Minho lifted his hands defensively.

"Easy, I was just asking," he said, some pieces of apple flying from his mouth in the process. Yet, he ignored the disgusted expression on Newt's face and kept talking, "No one has seen her since last night; either she's shucking hiding from everyone or she followed Gally's steps, that shank."

The joke didn't amuse Newt in the least, as he sent Minho an irritated glare before crossing his arms over his chest. His brown eyes darted around, unconsciously searching for a girl with fiery, red hair talking animatedly to the Gladers around. And, when he didn't find her, Newt started to feel something growing in his heart; a feeling he was too familiar with.

Minho, noticing the concern beginning to show on his friend's face and the fear shinning in his eyes, placed a hand on his shoulder and shoved him playfully.

"She's here, you slinthead," he assured.

But Newt didn't reply that time; he remained still, glancing around from time to time as the familiar feeling grew stronger. However, before something else could be said, everything started to darken, as if the lights were turning off. Ironically, that was exactly what was happening.

"The sun is gone!" one of the Gladers exclaimed, causing everyone to look up.

They were right; the sun wasn't there anymore. Oddly enough, without its light illuminating the sky, it suddenly didn't seem real anymore. There were no clouds, yet for some unknown reason, a grey colour filled the ceiling above them.

"What the shuck does this mean?" Minho muttered to himself as he stood from his seat.

"I don't know. But we can't wander around like a bloody herd of strayed sheep," Newt immediately followed his movements, his gloomy mood changing almost instantly. "Look for Tommy; there may be something different in the Maze as well. I think I know where Riley is."

"Good that," Minho replied before he took off running.

-#-

A frown was plastered on Newt's face as he made his way to the Homestead, his mind twirling with thoughts. His feet stomped on the wooden ground, which earned him complaining sounds from it that he easily ignored as he walked up the stairs towards the second floor. The concern and anxiety that had been surrounding his heart ever since he had come back from the woods without Riley had dissipated into the thin air the same way the sun had, only to be replaced by frustration. Sometimes, he wondered if what she had wrong in her head messed with her so much that it made her go nuts. Like right then; with everything going to hell around them, she was stubborn enough not to come out and face her problems.

Newt shook his head and ran both hands down his face as an attempt to stop the thoughts from crushing him. Determined, the boy approached the room where the med-jacks worked in, only to be greeted by an unexpected sight.

"Jeff, why are you standing there like a bloody guard?" he asked, confusion leaking his voice, as he stared at the Glader.

Jeff, who indeed was standing in front of the door as if to prevent intruders from walking through, merely scratched the back of his neck out of discomfort.

"Sorry Newt, but I don't think you should be here," he most likely forced himself to say, not making eye contact with Newt.

"Look shank, I don't give a bloody klunk about what you think," Newt snapped, obviously not in the mood. "Get the bloody hell out of the way."

Jeff fidgeted on the spot, yet before he could say a word, Clint stepped out and joined him.

"You can't come in," he stated, confidently enough to make Newt clench his fists. "Only we med-jacks and people in need of assistance are allowed inside, and considering you're none of those, you should go."

Had he not been a Keeper, Newt would have punched him in the face. However, he had also a thinking mind and a voice of reason that told him violence was not the way to solve that. Thus, taking one of the knives he used to take care of the Gardens, he swiftly slithered the sharp blade down his left arm. Ignoring the shocking looks on both med-jacks' faces, and the pain emerging from the injury, Newt stepped forward.

"Considering I'm in need of assistance, I'm bloody allowed in," he growled.

Clint stood there, gaping like a fish out of water, while Jeff had paled considerably and wouldn't stop staring at the blood slipping out of the open wound. Suddenly, the door snapped open, and a discontent Riley came out.

"Honestly, you infuriate me so much," she grunted as she rapidly grabbed his uninjured arm and hastily pulled him inside.

The door closed behind them, and a tense silence surrounded the empty room. Without waiting for Newt to sit on one of the white beds, Riley released him and hurried to one of the small closets. The boy stood there, not moving, watching the girl as she rummaged through things he'd never learn to use. Finally, Riley let out a pleased sigh as she found what she was looking for, and approached him with a flask and some bandages.

"Sit down," she ordered without much of a severe glance his way. When he complied, the redhead took his injured arm between her hands and looked it over with scanning eyes. Her fingers wrapped around its back before she began to apply some disinfectant on the red skin. "I sometimes wonder who the insane one actually is."

"I couldn't find you anywhere," Newt commented, and hissed afterwards when she touched the wound to clean it.

"I didn't want you to find me," she harshly replied, not bothering to be careful while treating him. Yet, he knew that even though she was angry, she was being as gentle as possible. "And before you keep going, I don't feel like talking either."

But Newt was having none of it, and if what Riley wanted was for him to be quiet, she didn't succeed. Yanking his arm out of her grasp, he stood from the bed and forced her to follow.

"I don't shucking care about what you bloody want to do! You don't want to talk? Fine, but you will listen," Newt took some steps back and tried to calm down as he ran his hands down his face. Then, his brown eyes glared into her green ones. The girl stared at him blankly, waiting for him to speak as she casually sat on the edge of the bed. "Ever since you got your memories back, you've been wandering around without a bloody care in the world. You seem to want to help as you always did, but every time I look the other way, you get yourself into arguments and–"

"I've only gotten myself into one argument, and it was to stand up for you!" she cut in, feeling the need to defend herself.

"–then you're trying to kill the new girl," he continued.

"That, I thought you'd understand. I can't believe you don't give a bloody klunk about what she did, unless you didn't care so much about me after all."

Newt clenched his fists at his sides, and gritted furiously his teeth.

"Don't you dare," he growled. "You can't even understand what it was for me."

"I know!" Riley exclaimed, taking him aback. She let out an uneven sigh and fixed her green eyes on the boy who unknowingly held her heart. "I remember not remembering you, I remember how you looked at me through years of memories. And I couldn't give you what you yearned for, because you meant nothing to me." The words cut through the thin air before hitting him hard, taking his breath away for a moment. Riley watched silently as his eyes went downcast, avoiding hers, before they closed. It pained her so much to see him like that, but she couldn't live with that weight on her shoulders; it was draining her energy. "And now that I remember you, I can see how much pain I've caused you whenever you look at me, as if you expect me to forget you once again; with fright. I can't face that; the guilt is gnawing at me."

"Yet, you keep going into the maze; how can you expect me not to feel that way?" Newt inquired, his gaze meeting hers again. "It all started there!"

"But that's the only bloody place you won't follow me to!" she snapped, jumping off the bed out of exasperation. "I'm not going to disappear just like that, so I really don't understand why you're watching over me day after day."

"You don't seem to understand! You did disappear, and when it happened, I couldn't sleep. I couldn't breathe, and I couldn't eat. I didn't want to keep living a life in which you were dead," he admitted in the end. "I care about you, is it that hard to understand?"

But it was more than that, and Riley was not that blunt. She was seeing right through his words; his mood had completely changed and he looked almost embarrassed. Crossing her arms over her chest, she gave him a look.

"It may be that," she agreed. "But, for instance, you care about Alby too and I don't see you running after him like a lost puppy."

"But that's because I don't love him!"

_Oh, shit._

Silence fell upon them as the words stuck in her mind, and Newt tried to grasp what had happened. It had slipped out of his mouth; he hadn't planned on saying it, not yet at least. But he had, and there was no going back. Thus, he stared calmly at the girl before him, wishing for her to snap out of it soon.

Riley could feel his brown eyes on her, searching and waiting impatiently. She knew he was expecting an answer, but the shock was stopping her from speaking. However, she could feel her heart hammering in its cage, her stomach turning to jelly and her face heating up.

"I-I-," she couldn't even utter a word, and mentally slapped herself for being so pathetic when it came to romantic issues. "I can't."

His heart dropped right there and then. Newt could feel his world crumbling to pieces, his insides aching with the pain of a heartbeat, yet he managed to pull a serene façade.

"You can't?" His voice didn't come out as calm though, just like a whisper that had run out of strength.

Suddenly, her hands wrapped around her neck, as if they were acting on their own accord, trying to suffocate her. Her eyes widened in shock and panic, immediately fixing on Newt's confused face and calling for help. Without hesitation, the blond rushed over and attempted to take her hands off to no avail.

"Shuck, Riley, stop this bloody nonsense!" he shouted as he kept trying to unlock her fingers.

Her face was starting to turn pale, as blood stopped boiling through her system.

-#-

Meanwhile, at WICKED's quarters, a serious Ava Paige watched the scene before her. Riley was dying, she knew, but she couldn't do anything to stop it from happening. Everything that was happening to her was a consequence of what she had done in the past; the girl shouldn't have gone to the Glade the way she did.

The boy she had given so much for was at the verge of tears, holding onto her desperately, as if she would stop trying to kill herself that way. His hands were clenched around hers, still as an attempt of loosening her grip.

Ava Paige didn't know what made her do what she did, but when the first drop of salty water slipped from the boy's eyes, she voiced, "Enough."

The Chancellor hoped that warning was enough for Riley to understand where her limits had been drawn.

-#-

Something wet touched her cheek the same moment the force that was controlling her faded, and she gasped for breath. Someone was holding her as they sat on the wooden ground. Blond locks, strong arms.

"N-Newt," she whispered, her voice hoarse and dry.

Almost instantly, Newt lifted his head to look into her eyes. Relief washed over him as a smile touched her face. But his face remained serious, the remembrance of Riley suffocating herself too livid in his mind. He knew she was being controlled, for he had witnessed the same situation happening to Alby some days back. The purpose behind it, he did not know.

"I understand if you don't feel the same, but you try to do that ever again and I will bloody kill you myself," he threatened, pushing away the pain in his heart for the moment being.

But she kissed him.

Her lips slammed against his in a rushed move, catching him completely off guard and almost knocking him over. Indeed, Riley knew there was something out there that controlled her body without hesitation when wanted, but she had always believed actions spoke what words couldn't.

Their lips moved almost frantically, molding together in desperate, yet slow motion. There weren't fireworks, not even butterflies. Instead, an impenetrable darkness surrounded her mind, and an unexpected needing scared her. She craved him and wasn't going to let anything stop her from letting him know. Her teeth bit down on his lower lip, which earned her an audible grunt. But Newt needed her closer, and his instincts took control of the situation. Her legs wrapped around his waist the moment he pulled her towards him, and his hands tightened their hold on her. It was frenetic, and the more they drank of the intoxicated passion, the more they wanted.

But neither of them cared. Their hearts beat so furiously, they could have exploded. He kept seeking for her warmth, for her touch. And when her hands intertwined with his tousled, blond locks, he paid no mind to the sudden pain coming from his arm. To tell the truth, the boy didn't remember when had been the last time they had had such a heated encounter, and he wasn't about to waste that opportunity.

His back slammed on the hard ground as Riley pushed him down, her legs still wrapped around him. Without a care, she sat on him before lowering her lips to meet his mouth once again. Pushing her up gently, Newt wrapped his arms around her waist as he sat up. Her long, red hair fell in cascades over him, and he broke the kiss for a moment to contemplate her. Her lips were swollen, as his were, her cheeks tinted due to the heated kiss. And her green eyes were watching him as if he were the only thing in the world; his heart jumped under her intense gaze.

Bloody hell, what was she doing to him? He trembled under her, and a content sigh escaped his mouth as the girl began to caress his face, her light touch kissing every inch of it. His hands went up to bring her closer until their noses touched.

"Shuck, I really do love you," he mumbled.

A small smile crossed her face before a frown took over on her features.

"What?"

Riley shushed him by lifting a finger.

"I think I've heard some–"

A scream broke the silence surrounding them, before the door burst open and a troubled Jeff ran in. Quickly, Riley stood up and helped Newt to his feet, ignoring the questioning look from the Glader.

"What's going on?" she demanded to know, snapping Jeff out of his thoughts.

"Oh, yeah…" He shook his head. "The Walls, they don't close!"

"What?!"

Jeff rushed out that moment, motioning for them to follow him. However, before they did, Riley walked over to Newt and professionally wrapped up his arm with the bandages.

"I was right," Newt commented, a smug grin on his face. "Two years ago, I told you I'd win you over."

Smacking the back of his head, Riley scoffed and ran after Jeff.

* * *

_Don't forget to leave your opinion!_

This was definitely too romantic for my liking, but I know I'd have to write that sooner or later.

**EDITED: 10/07/2016**


	10. Chaos

**A/N**: Thank you to everyone who favourited, followed and reviewed. And, a huge thanks to _mockingjaybrandybuck_ for your amazing review. I appreciate your constructive criticism a lot, really.

Also, there's probably one chapter left, so I'd suggest you to read the prequel (Bloody Maze), because I'll start working on it as soon as this story comes to its end. There are already two chapters up, and I will probably start the sequel to this story when the prequel's over (which won't be more than 5 chapters).

* * *

**CHAPTER TEN:**

Chaos

* * *

Chaos. That was the first word that came to her mind when she stepped out of the Homestead, and her eyes landed on the panicked Gladers running around without apparent purpose. Considering the circumstances, such turmoil was something expectable. Sliding her gaze towards the Walls, Riley recognized the figure of Alby standing before them, conversing with some Gladers what she supposed would be a plan.

"This doesn't look too good," muttered Jeff, which only earned him a snort.

"Thanks for stating the obvious," the girl replied while rolling her eyes. Then, she turned towards Newt, who was watching the scene with concerned eyes. "I think it's time to get some bloody answers."

Before the boy was given the time to think of an answer, Riley began to walk away, heading the woods. Frowning, he sent a quick glance at Jeff and followed behind. It had been long since the last time Newt had seen the girl so serious, and he couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy about it. While her resolution was something every Glader admired, the cold-demeanor that always came with it was frightening to say the very least. And Newt was not an exception; he feared the way she dealt with grave issues. She became calculating, callous and even cruel if the situation called for it; in other words, she would do anything in order to accomplishing her goal.

"Stop for a bloody second, Riley," he demanded as he tried to keep up with her, but his injured ankle felt heavier than usual.

When she noticed his discomfort, her eyes softened considerably before her features hardened again. Even so, the girl slowed her pace and waited for him to catch up. Then, both Gladers jogged off towards the woods, trying to ignore the chaos around them in the process.

Silence accompanied them while they made their way towards their destination. Neither of them thought about start talking about their heated encounter, as they were in the middle of what seemed to be a catastrophe. From time to time though, Newt would sneak a glance towards her, only to be greeted with an emotionless façade that gave away the impression their feelings were the least of their problems at the moment.

When they entered the shadows provided by the thick trees, Riley increased her pace and marched forward. Running a hand through his tousled hair, Newt followed behind. He wasn't having good vibrations about the whole situation.

"Riley, we should talk about this before jumping into conclusions," he spoke calmly.

"There's no time," came her short reply.

Seeing he wasn't getting anywhere, Newt sighed exasperatedly before reaching out to grab her by the wrist, effectively stopping her. The girl rounded on her heels, and her eyes hardened as she gave him a discontent look.

"And what are you planning to do? You can't just beat the bloody crap out of that shank to get answers," Newt tried to reason, staring almost pleading into her stony gaze as he spoke. "None of that matters anymore. Just think about them." He pointed to the Gladers behind them. "They don't need more confusion."

Gritting her teeth out of anger, Riley pulled her wrist out of his grasp and took a step back.

"Take a bloody look around, they are already confused! _I_ am confused," she snapped angrily. Then, she took a deep breath and spoke with a calm she didn't really feel. "Gally was right, Newt. Ever since Thomas showed up, everything's turned upside down. I was willing to use him against the assholes that put us here, but circumstances have changed. We could die tonight."

"Riley–"

"No," she said curtly, and for a second her eyes shone with internal affliction. "Not this time, Newtie."

With that, she turned around and continued her way towards where she knew Thomas was. Any trace of sentimentality was gone; instead a mask of pure determination was plastered on her features as she stepped over the few branches that had fallen from the trees over the time. The air was cold, permeated with something foreign that kept her guard up, her eyes wide open and her mind awake. She had never felt frightened or insecure there, not in the Glade at least. Of course, living there came with the feeling of being in constant vigilance. However, they had made a home out of that place, a community that provided safety and preservation.

But, the moment she had stepped out of the Homestead, Riley had been hit by a wave of utter instability and felt as though she was being thrown off a cliff. Whether it was because of the dull color the sky had acquired or the fact the doors were closing, she did not know. And she didn't know which of the issues caused her more fright. Her stomach was tied into knots due to the immense concern she felt about the whole situation, and Riley couldn't stop the questions from attacking her mind.

Why weren't the Doors closing? Had something happened in the Maze, or had they just broken down? And why did the sky look so grey, so… fake?

Realization hit her so hard she almost stopped walking. Of course it looked like that; everything around them had been created by a bunch of sadistic people playing scientists. For a moment, she had forgotten about such important fact. Subconsciously, her eyes slid over to the boy who walked by her side before they quickly averted from him. She was doing exactly what she swore she would never do some months back: getting distracted. And by a boy, no less.

Truly, she hadn't seen it coming, how he was slowly breaking through her emotionless walls, until it had been too late. While cursing out loud, she mentally shook her head.

_"When did it happen? When did I let him in?" _Riley asked herself, ignoring the surprised look from Newt as she did.

Fortunately or not, her trail of thought came to a halt as did her feet when a not so unexpected sight crossed her view. Her lips pursed into a snarl as she stared with disdain at Teresa, who seemed to have been in deep conversation with Thomas just about two seconds ago.

"Now this, I saw it coming," she muttered to herself as her eyes clashed with the ones whose owner had betrayed her.

Newt, however, was surprised.

"What the bloody hell are you doing here? I thought we had locked you up," he said, not pleased in the least but curious at the same time.

"You didn't stay long enough to see how I kicked the idiot who guarded the door in the balls and got out," Teresa commented harshly, though her gaze stayed locked on the red-haired girl who kept regarding her with hard eyes. However, when she heard an amused snort coming from Newt, she turned her glare towards him. "Keep that face and you'll go down too."

Riley stepped forward then, swatting away the hand that tried to stop her while she did.

"You just try," she dared lowly. Then, her lips formed a lopsided smirk. "That marks look good on you," she commented, a devil glint in her eyes, referring to the red lines that decorated the girl's neck.

However, it seemed Teresa was done with fearing her. Either that, or she had finally grown a pair and decided to start defending herself.

"How is your shoulder doing?" Her words seemed genuine, but the meaning hiding in them had only one purpose. "That nail probably hurt."

Riley straightened almost immediately and felt Newt's questioning gaze upon her frame, but decided to ignore it for the moment being and stop beating around the bush. Casting one last glance at Teresa, she walked past her and approached Thomas. Nevertheless, before she could even get to him, another voice interrupted them.

"You!" Alby stormed towards Thomas and grabbed him by the front of his shirt, catching him completely off guard. "What have you done this time?!"

"What? I don't –"

"Stop shucking lying!" Alby cut in with a growl, his eyes glared daggers into his wide ones. "You've done something. I don't know what, but you have!"

Newt stepped in.

"Alby –"

"No, he's right."

Everyone fell silent when Riley spoke, her voice deadly serious. Her arms were crossed over her chest as she regarded Thomas with calculating eyes, and the boy had never felt so hopeless.

"The Walls aren't closing, Thomas," she revealed. "And while you're here, all lovey dove with your bloody girlfriend, our friends are going insane out there; which is actually expected."

Thomas stared at her for a long minute, taking her words in as he tried to come with a sentence that reflected his thoughts.

"Are you–you can't blame me for that," he retorted, baffled.

But, much to his dismay, Riley merely gave him a blank look.

"I can, and I am." She turned towards Alby then, as if looking for his approval and ignoring the disappointed stare Newt was sending her. Thomas watched in stupor as his hopes disappeared when Alby nodded shortly and the girl announced the final decision. "Take him to the Slammer."

"Riley, you can't be serious. Get off!"

Thomas tried desperately to get the two Gladers off him, but their grips were strong and they began to drag him away from the scene. However, thankfully, Teresa was there before any of them could take another step towards the Homestead. She didn't jump on them as an attempt of helping him, but merely shouted a sentence that changed everything.

"It wasn't him!" Oddly enough, she turned to Riley, who was already watching her with a slight frown on her forehead. "I provoked something. I don't know how, but I did. He didn't do anything, so let him go."

Something happened that no one understood, something unspoken between the girls as they regarded one another. Because, much to everyone's surprise, Riley motioned for the Gladers to drop Thomas. Riley had actually listened to the person she probably hated the most.

But it wasn't going to be that easy, and Alby ordered them to take Teresa instead, who did nothing to stop them and simply remained still. Her blue eyes glanced at Riley once as she was being dragged away though, but the girl wasn't paying her attention anymore.

"Wait, you can't do this," protested Thomas, whose complaining attitude was starting to get on her nerves.

It was Newt though, the one who replied, and relief flashed through her at the thought he was on her side. He had been quiet the whole time, and by the disappointed stares he was giving her from time to time, Riley would have sworn he didn't approve any of her decisions. Thus why, it surprised her greatly when he stood up for her.

"Why not? She's said it herself; it's her fault."

Thomas didn't look pleased, but somehow knew nothing he said was going to make any difference or help their situation. So he didn't open his mouth to retort, otherwise they wouldn't hesitate to throw him into the Slammer as well.

"Alright shanks, take everyone to the Homestead," Alby firmly said once Teresa was out of sight. "We'll meet there in an hour."

Everyone complied, slowly yet determinately moving to their respective places of work to spread the plan. The frown hadn't left Riley's face as she followed the Gladers out of the woods, and her eyes remained hard as stones.

"When were you going to tell me?"

The girl stopped dead in her tracks when Newt's voice reached her, and she turned around only to be greeted by the discontent expression plastered on his face. As though the question had reminded her of the stinging on her shoulder blade, she grimaced and touched it with the tip of her fingers.

"Now it's not the time to be talking about this," she said, her tone leaving no room for argument. "It's healed either way, so it doesn't really matter."

_"It does_," he wanted to say. But the words died in his throat the second her glare fell upon him, effectively silencing him. Then, sending him a knowing look that made clear she didn't want to have that conversation at the moment, Riley continued her way towards the Homestead.

And, if he wasn't already troubled, Thomas was still there to throw some more _light_ on him.

"Newt, I have some theories about this."

Grunting out of exasperation, Newt snapped his head towards him and glared at him.

"And what makes you think I give a bloody klunk about what you think?" However, when the boy did nothing but give him an almost pleading stare, he bit back another remark and sighed heavily. "Make it quick."

-#-

The night was already knocking on the door, the danger imminent as a deadly silence spread across the Glade. A foreign cold accompanied that quietness, sending shivers down her spine and causing her hair to stand on end. As her eyes scanned the surroundings, Riley let out a relieved sigh when she found no one out of the Homestead. The original plan was to wait inside, but she had purposely decided to stay there in order to make sure no one was still wandering around.

Unfortunately, her satisfaction didn't last long, for a familiar sound echoed in the Glade as the wooden door of the Homestead snapped open and Alby walked out. The girl watched in utter stupor as the Glader strode towards the room where they stored the maps of the Maze for a moment before she snapped out of it and rushed over.

"What the bloody hell are you doing out here?" She stopped in front of him and placed a hand on his chest to prevent him from walking.

There was something off about the way Alby stared at her, as if he his mind were somewhere else. His eyes averted from her then to land on the Map Room and, as though he had just remembered something important, he blinked and walked past her.

"Woah, don't you just ignore me, shank," Riley exclaimed, indignation permeated her voice, as she quickly grabbed him by the arm.

Out of what seemed to be exasperation, Alby turned around to send her an annoyed look.

"Stop trying to protect everyone, Riley. We've already discussed my mission, and the shanks agree with me on this," he said while the girl let her hand fall back to her side. "I'm just going to watch over the Map Room, make sure the _maps_ are safely guarded."

"And what are you going to do when the bloody grievers come? Unless you have some powers hiding up your sleeves, you'll sucking die before you–"

"Just stop, Riley!" His voice echoed throughout the place, strong and loud. Taken aback, Riley could only stare with wide eyes as the boy ran his hands down his face. "You're too much like Newt sometimes. Shuck, I know what I'm doing."

Silence enveloped them for some seconds, and it became obvious to Riley that Alby's words were meaningless; he didn't really know what he was doing, or about to do. However, his tone was final, and she didn't have the patience to be dealing with him at the moment, not when there was a real threat making its way to them.

"Okay," she simply said, giving up. "I hope you do."

Immediately, his shoulders relaxed and his face regained its usual calm façade.

Riley shook her head and began to walk away.

She hadn't taken up to two steps when Alby called her name one last time, and she glanced over her shoulder and waited impatiently. The sky was turning darker, and the more time she spent out, the greater the possibilities of not living for the following day.

"We all know how much you hate to be treated like a child, but Newt's gone through a lot of klunk and you know that. Give him a break."

With that, he walked off as though nothing had stopped him in the first place. Riley was surprised, to say the least, as the last thing she was expecting was for Alby to give his opinion on that matter. But, as much as she hated to admit it, Riley knew he wasn't completely wrong. She indeed hated being treated like a child.

Her trail of thought was interrupted when a familiar sound coming from the Maze reached her. Casting one last glance at the huge Walls, she rushed towards the Homestead. The wooden door slammed closed once she walked in, and she quickly placed some boxes in front of it as a pointless way to stop the imminent attack. Then, she ran upstairs and opened the first door, only to storm out when she didn't see the ones she was looking for.

What she definitely didn't expect was the sight that greeted her when she entered the second room. Her eyes considerably widened when they fell upon the motionless body of Newt that lay on the only bed in sight. Without a care in the world, Riley rushed to him, pushing her way through the crowd that had formed by the door. Ignoring the complaining yelps of some of the Gladers as she stepped on their feet, she dropped on her knees next to the lying boy. Her eyes scanned his features with concern, stopping on the bleeding wound next to his left brow. Her forehead creased and her gaze narrowed when it became clear he had been knocked out.

"Who–" The question died in her throat the moment her eyes locked on the ones of Gally. Surprise flashed through her, and she would have asked him about his unexpected presence had she not noticed the wooden plank he was tightly gripping in his hand. "You're dead," she snarled, hatred permeating her voice as she stood up.

Nevertheless, before anyone could step in to prevent another commotion, the sound of swirling caught their attention. A griever was climbing towards the window of the room they were hiding in, its claws snapping as it did. The disgusting noise it made was too familiar to Riley, who couldn't stop the fear from boiling through her system. Sneaking a quick glance at Newt's still motionless body, she tried to push the feeling away. There was no room for fright at times like those, not when she was needed. The walls of the building they had worked so hard over the months, were crumbling to pieces by the 'hands' of a griever; something they had never expected.

Had she not been so focused on making sure Newt was out of its reach, she'd have noticed the claw that was quickly reaching for her. But it was too late, and not even Minho's shout of warning came fast enough to make her avoid the attack.

A short scream escaped her mouth when she was grabbed by the Griever. Her feet slowly left the safety provided by the floor, and she was lifted in the air. The metal clasped around her torso with force, strangling her and not letting the blood reach the bottom of her body. And then, the strangest thing happened.

Gally stepped forward, and her scared gaze locked on his hopeless one.

"You don't want to remember. You don't want to know what they did to you, what they're still doing to you."

Then, he launched himself at the griever.

* * *

**Please, let me know what you think.**

**EDITED: 10/07/2016**


	11. Surviving

Thank you to everyone who reviewed, read, favourited and followed. And, as always, a super special thanks to _mockingjaybrandybuck_ for their constant support and constructive criticism!

So I've decided not to finish this story just yet, but I can say I'll post up to two more chapters. Please, enjoy and review.

**IMPORTANT: I've edited the first two chapters, and there are some things I added that may have importance regarding the following chapters. Also, I've removed one of the chapters and adhered it to the second one.**

* * *

**CHAPTER ELEVEN:**

Surviving

* * *

Pain; that was all he felt as he came back to reality after being drown in the darkest of the abysms. His head was throbbing, sending waves of almost unbearable torture to the rest of his body. Something wet tickled the skin of his forehead, which he noticed to be blood as soon as the metallic scent entered his nose. All in all, Newt felt as though he had been thrown into a hurricane of sharp knives.

Suddenly, warmth filled his soul as something was carefully pressed against the side of his face, from where the blood wouldn't stop seeping out. Then, an unexpected trail of curses reached his ears, which would have earned a chuckle from the boy had he not felt so exhausted. Nevertheless, he forced his eyes to open when another curse echoed in the air.

He froze, taken aback by the beautiful sight in front of him. For some seconds, the pain that was misting his mind seemed to be forgotten.

There, sitting on the bed he was lying on, was an angel. Her fiery red hair fell over her shoulders in waves and framed her pale face. Her lips were pursed in obvious annoyance as she stared with her dark green eyes at the side of his face, her brows furrowed above them.

Newt couldn't help it; he was mesmerized by the beauty whose hands lightly caressed his skin, causing goosebumps to appear. He knew he was staring, more than what would be called appropriate, but he felt unable to tear his gaze away from her. There was a radiant light glowing on her face, illuminating her features and shining in her green eyes, which were now gazing into his dazed ones.

"You're awake," the angel stated, more to herself than to him.

Her words didn't reach his ears as he stared at her mouth, waiting for it to move again.

"Newt."

"Are you an angel?"

"What?"

"You're glowing."

Some seconds of silence fell upon them, then, "Stupid boy, the hit has really gotten you."

-#-

There was a shift on the bed as Riley stood and walked over to the window, the one the night before had caused so many disturbs. Sunlight was seeping through, hitting her face mercilessly. Of course, the boy was dealing with a concussion and had thought she was glowing like a bloody angel. She couldn't help but find the situation a bit amusing, yet as soon as her lips formed a small smile, she mentally reprimanded herself.

Her stomach was tied into knots as images from the night before filled her mind. It had all happened so fast she hadn't had the time to think before acting, thus leading the Griever to grab a hold of her. The mere thought of what could have happened had Gally not rescued her, sent chills down her spine, and she was assaulted by a wave of guilt once again. Gally's last words would never leave her mind, she was sure of that. Of course, the girl didn't quite understand the meaning behind them, but the tone of anxiety and desperation that had accompanied them was enough for her to know she would have nightmares about it for the rest of her life. If she managed to live that long, that's it.

Riley shook her head as an attempt to get rid of those images before bending down to pick up a wooden plank, whose end was permeated in Newt's blood. Then, she placed it on the window and went back to the boy's side, pleased to see the plank stopped the sunlight from glaring into her eyes.

"There, still glowing?" she asked as she took the damp tissue and kept on cleaning the wound on his head.

"No," he mumbled, his eyes not leaving her focused face. "Still beautiful."

Her hand froze in place, her fingertips twitching ever no slightly. Not expecting the compliment, Riley drifted her surprised eyes to his. Her reaction seemed to be what Newt was expecting, for the corner of his lips tugged upwards, forming an amused smirk.

"Cat got your tongue, Riley?" he asked smugly, his eyes sparking with mischief as she frowned at him.

A yelp escaped his mouth when her fist collided with his shoulder.

"You're impossible," she muttered, flustered, as she stood and threw the tissue at his amused face. "What are you laughing at? Wipe that bloody smirk off your face, or else I will."

But Newt merely grinned widely and kept his eyes locked on her annoyed features as she glared down at him. Chuckling silently, he took the damp tissue and pressed it against his head.

"You're so bloody sexy when you get so worked up," he commented, pleased to see how her face quickly turned a deeper shade of red.

"You are so insufferable," she barked as she did her best to ignore the warmth creeping to her cheeks. When Newt arched a single brow and placed his free arm behind his injured head to give her a teasing wink, the girl threw her arms in the air out of exasperation. "Shup up."

"Make me."

"Glad to see you're feeling better," she commented, though her voice told otherwise. _To hell with his bloody smirk and his bloody teasing, I'm going to kill him._

Fortunately –or not– for Newt, there was a light knock on the door before it swung open, revealing an irritated Minho. The runner gave the two gladers a long stare before he addressed Riley, ignoring the blush that covered her cheeks.

"We've got a crisis," he informed.

"I haven't noticed," she sarcastically said with a roll of eyes.

However, Minho ignored her comment and motioned for her to follow him, which she did after a glance over her shoulder. Sure enough, Newt wasn't about to be resting for the whole morning and was already standing, all traces of humor gone.

-#-

The first thing she noticed when she stepped out of the Homestead was the huge cloud of dark smoke coming from the other side of the Glade that melted away in the artificial sky. And it was enough for both Riley and Newt to understand what the meaning of it was. After exchanging a glance, Riley took off towards the Map Room, Newt hot on her heels.

The scent of scorched wood hit her when she arrived to her destination, and her nose scrunched in slight disgust, before she took in the sight in front of her. A large group of Gladers were gathered around something she did not reach to see, but fortunately, Newt was there to make them step back.

Instantly, the redhead covered her mouth with her hands to avoid letting out any kind of embarrassing sound. Her eyes widened so much they could have flown out of their sockets, but she tried to push the shock away and kneeled next to Alby. The boy was unconscious, that much she could tell.

"Bloody hell," she muttered under her breath as she scanned her friend, whose skin was covered in blood and adorned with burns.

Quickly, she pulled out another tissue and began to clean his face, ignoring the stares of the Gladers while doing so. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Thomas as he approached the scene with determined steps. Soon enough, a conversation between Minho and him took place, but the girl paid them no mind and kept on scanning Alby's body for more injuries. Someone kneeled next to her, and she glanced at Newt only to see him staring worriedly at his friend.

"Your verdict?" he asked, the tone in his voice giving away the concern than gleamed in his brown eyes.

"He's got a huge wound on his head, this being the main reason there's so much blood. Besides, his body suffers of a considerable amount of burns," Riley informed, her lips pursed as she thought. "I need to check the seriousness of his injures before I come to a conclusion, but he's bad."

Newt gave out a heavy sigh but nodded nonetheless. Then, he stood up and walked over to Minho and Thomas, probably to reveal the news to them. Running a hand through her messy hair, Riley got to her feet too and clapped her hands once to catch the attention of the Gladers.

"Alright, shanks, I want you all to go back to… wherever the hell you came from. Med-jackers, take Alby to the infirmary. I'll be with you in a minute," she spoke firmly, though her voice had trembled at some point, letting them know she was affected by the events too.

While Jeff and Clint grabbed Alby by feet and arms, and the Gladers slowly walked away of the scene, Riley approached the three who hadn't moved a muscle. She nodded towards Thomas, acknowledging him, before asking about their plan.

"This shank wants us to go with him to the Slammer, says he has a shucking plan," Minho said, and she was not surprised to see his attitude hadn't changed one bit and was still as grumpy as ever.

Thomas nodded firmly, as to confirm the runner's words.

"I have a plan that can possibly get us out of here," he said, to which Riley arched a brow.

"Possibly?"

"It will."

Thomas remained still as he was scrutinized by the difficult girl for the following seconds, trying not to let his gaze waver. As if she was pleased with his determination, Riley smiled slightly, and his shoulders relaxed.

"Good that, I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt." She looked at Minho, then. "Go with him and get this klunk done. We all know we won't last much longer if we don't do something," she said, which earned her a roll of eyes from the Glader that she decided to ignore as she turned towards Newt. His face was contorted into an expression of utter exhaustion, but she was glad to see that his wound had stopped bleeding out. "Stop it right now, Newt. Your mind won't be of much use if you're thinking about Alby the whole bloody time, and we need you focused on your task, or else I won't be able to do much to help Alby."

Newt held her hard gaze for some seconds, before he reluctantly nodded and walked away, heading the Slammer, without much of a glance. Riley couldn't stop the sigh of exasperation that left her lips.

"That boy confuses me to no end," she muttered as she watched him go.

Minho smirked amused.

"Because you're not confusing at all," he commented sarcastically, but raised his arms in mocked innocence. "I'm just saying."

As Thomas watched the two Gladers interact, he couldn't help but feel somewhat jealous of their relationship. There was something special between the three, something that kept them together in both worst and best situations. Thomas wished he could be accepted in their little gang but knew it wasn't that easy; they had been together for two years, and he had been there just some days.

"Greenie." Riley's voice snapped him out of his thoughts, and a blush of embarrassment touched his cheeks.

"And he's back!" Minho exclaimed.

"We were starting to worry," Riley added, an amused smirk on her lips. "You may go back to daydreaming when we fix this. I want your bloody feet on the ground until then." She flicked his forehead, causing him to yelp and stare at her in bewilderment.

_# Some hours later #_

Thomas had managed to get Teresa out of her confinement, with some difficulties at first. Then, after explaining his plan and being surprised by the truth about the maps of the Maze, about them being hidden and perfectly fine, the four of them headed to the Weapons Room. Currently, they were working on the maps, trying to complete a code that seemed to be more confusing as time went by and they discovered more letters. To the point in which Minho had screamed in frustration and would have kicked the wall had Newt not held him back. Thankfully, his crisis had ended rather quickly, and he had returned to the task at hand.

"Good, so the second word is –"

The door swung open, stopping Thomas mid-sentence. An-exhausted-looking Riley walked in, her hands covered in dried blood and drops of sweat glistening on her forehead. Immediately, Newt halted and rushed over.

"Is he –"

"He's resting."

The relief that flooded the room at that moment was evident, and their faces relaxed noticeably. Minho smiled slightly and shook his head, muttering something under his breath, while Thomas felt a weight lifting from his shoulders. Truth be told, the Greenie wasn't that fond of Alby, but that didn't mean he wanted him dead or suffering. The only one who seemed indifferent towards the news was Teresa, but he supposed that she too was glad about Alby's recover, even though she didn't show any emotion.

A grateful smile appeared on his lips.

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me." She flickered his forehead. "He's family."

Minho cleared his throat rather forcefully in an attempt of gaining their attention and raised an eyebrow.

"If you shanks are done there, go back to work. Thomas and I will be off within seconds," he announced. "We have to go to the shucking Maze."

"What?" Thomas couldn't believe his ears and rounded to face Minho, who had begun to take his things from the table. "Are you serious?"

"Does it look like I'm joking, Greenie?"

"But it's pointless to go to the Maze! This–" He waved his arms around as if to point towards everything in the room, "–is far more important."

But arguing with Minho wasn't going to lead him anywhere, for the runner crossed his arms over his chest and glared defiantly at him, refusing to let him win the argument.

"We are runners. Do you know what that means, slinthead? We shucking run," he spoke to him as if he were a child, which angered the boy even more. "Should've thought about that before joining us."

Much to everyone's surprise, Riley stepped in.

"You do that." She then turned to Thomas. "I'm taking care of Alby, but whenever I find the time I'm going to help here. We'll call for some more hands as well, so stop worrying over nothing."

Everyone was left speechless after Riley spoke, as no one expected her to try to calm Thomas down with such nice words. Not to blame them, for the relationship between the two Gladers had been nothing but tense ever since he stepped into the Glade.

"No." That time it was Riley the confused one. She rounded on her heels to exchange a look of challenge with Newt, who didn't seem faced by it at all. "You've been working nonstop for hours, you look like bloody klunk."

"Geez, thank you," Riley said sarcastically, though the frown never left her face.

"You know what I mean, Riley," the boy retorted, frowning as well. She always found a way to change his words to her own benefit, and it annoyed him to no end.

"Indeed I do. Thus why as soon as I clean up, I'll be here to grace you with my so-welcomed presence," she replied harshly, sarcasm dripping every word, before she walked to the door. When she passed Minho and Thomas, she added, "Why the hell are you still here? Just go to the bloody Maze!"

"Bossy as ever," Minho muttered under his breath when the girl was out of hearing before glancing over at Thomas with a look of annoyance. "Grab your shucking things already, Thomas. We don't have all day."

Thomas obliged but not before shaking his head, amused.

"Speaking of."

-#-

The moment they had been awaiting ever since they'd walked out of the Homestead had arrived. Night had finally fallen upon the Glade, and the feeling of utter terror and expectance grew, once again, within their strong hearts. The tension flooding the place was evident, even to the ones who hid inside the Weapons Room.

To be honest, Riley had always been one to appreciate every moment of silence, to feel glad when there was no noise disturbing her thoughts. Most of the times, silence meant peace, and with the constant rummaging noises the Gladers wouldn't stop making, the girl had never had the courage to despise it.

However, now she couldn't help but loathe it. As the heavy quietness compressed her heart, she shrank further towards the wall behind, her eyes fixated on the window by the door. And to think some minutes ago she had felt nothing but exhaustion roll down her veins, which was actually expected; she had been working non-stop, running to Alby when he needed her skillful hands and back to Newt to aid the Gladers as they looked over the maps. It had been utterly _breathtaking_, seeing as she had almost forgotten how to breathe.

Surprisingly, the tiredness had left her body as soon as the first screams had reached her. Everyone had looked at one another in shock, as if wondering about the reason behind those cries, before panic took over. They had been so focused on their little task that they had forgotten about the problem that –to her– mattered most, which almost resulted in a catastrophe. Thankfully, Newt was there to put everyone back to their right mind, which seemed to have floated away to leave a bunch of moaning babies behind.

At the moment, Riley was hiding under the big table where the maps were spread on, crouched down to avoid any kind of possible accident. She had enough problems, what with the arrival of the Grievers, and didn't want to add a headache to the list. Much to her dislike, Teresa was the one who had decided to sit by her, but the red-haired girl was done with arguing with every soul that she crossed paths with. Thus, she was making a huge effort to ignore the only person in the Glade that awoke her rage without even trying. Even so, Riley couldn't stop the scowl from decorating her lips nor could she release the tight grip on the small sword. She clutched it like her life depended on it –which maybe wasn't so improbable.

"I've noticed you're being nicer to Thomas," someone whispered next to her, immediately causing her to jump on the spot and, consequently, almost slam her head on the back of the table. "You're also being bloody impossible."

Not averting her gaze from the window, Riley clicked her tongue in annoyance and spoke lowly.

"Do you remember when you came to the Glade through the Box?" She ignored his jab.

Newt's brows shot up in shock.

"Of course I do. It was the most bloody confusing day of my life, until yesterday." His reply came out a bit harsher than he intended to, and so Riley hushed him.

"Do you remember Minho and some others there, waiting for you? You were the first to arrive to this shucking place through the Box, so we didn't know what the bloody hell was happening. But we never gave you the cold shoulder," she pointed.

"You didn't give me the cold shoulder?" Newt repeated, prey to incredulity. "You didn't even acknowledge my presence, always too bloody busy with these shanks and their shucking wounds."

The sketch of a smile formed on her mouth as she flew back to the first days of the Glade, to the origin of everything that followed.

"I did acknowledge you, if I remember correctly," she insisted, and when she noticed her voice had leveled up some tones, she added in a lower voice, "I helped you to your feet when you –oh so clumsily– tripped over a plank."

"You shucking slammed your shoulder into mine!" he yelled in a whisper, offended.

"I was such a badass, wasn't I?" Riley laughed under her breath, yet stopped when Newt spoke.

"More annoying than Minho's complains," he agreed, ignoring the glare shot his way through the darkness of the room. "But who can blame him? Frypan's food is bloody nauseating."

Riley didn't reply after that, for her mind had come back to reality when the familiar metallic sound shook the place. She could almost see the Grievers rolling by, heading the Homestead, and didn't know what to feel. The sensation of relief was so intense, and the thought of not being prey to those beasts was enough to calm her nerves just a bit. However, it became evident that someone who was hiding in the Homestead was not going to make it through the night, and the sudden feeling faded as fast as it had come.

Taking a quick glance at the other Gladers, she immediately noticed the looks of realization spread across their scared faces. And soon, they all were smiling smiles of encourage at one another, oblivious to the current situation taking place some meters away.

Riley sighed, troubled by her own feelings and thoughts, and allowed her legs to rest as she gave in and sat down on the wooden floor.

"So are we just talking about the past for good measure?" Newt wondered out loud as he followed her motion.

But the girl merely shook her head slowly and closed her eyes as she felt the exhaustion hit her body with its full force.

"I just–" As much tired as she was, Newt saw how her brows furrowed and her lips pursed in frustration and couldn't help the low chuckle from escaping him. "Every one of us was immediately accepted in the community, no exception. But when Thomas came, he became the target of many within seconds and–" She paused again, and looked for the right words to explain her thoughts. Heaving a sigh, she opened her eyes and looked at the boy, who was watching her closely. "He's had no one; even little Chuck has doubted him sometimes. It makes me think… I would've felt so lost had I been in his skin."

Newt kept regarding her with curious eyes and didn't reply.

"You haven't listened to a word I've said, you bloody slinthead," Riley muttered angrily, her eyes narrowing and staring hard into his gaze.

But, much to her surprise, Newt smirked slightly.

"I wish it'd taken just four days to give me a bloody chance," he commented, his tone casual.

However, Riley could see he was bothered by it. She couldn't blame him though, for he was right. When he had come to the Glade, she had felt so annoyed by his presence, an instinctive feeling she had convinced herself to. It had taken her months to accept him into her life, regardless of his constant attempts to befriend her.

"You should feel special," she said, deciding to take it lightly.

"And yet, I don't," sighed Newt.

"Thomas has someone," Teresa cut in, not bothering to hide the fact she'd been listening to their entire conversation.

And just like that, any trace of humor was gone from Riley's face.

-#-

When the morning came, bringing an almost inexistent feeling of safety to the Gladers, Riley excused herself and ran towards the room where Alby was. Oddly enough, the Grievers seemed to have not noticed him, considering he was still there.

"Those bloody things probably pitied you," she joked and was responded with silence.

She took care of the boy for the whole morning, and it wasn't until some hours later than the door swung open, startling her. She had been lying on one of the vacant beds, still exhausted due to the constant sensation of being in danger, and almost fell over. Fortunately, she caught herself in time and composed herself.

Minho stormed in, seemed to be enraged about God only knew what. At first, the girl didn't bother to question him about his insanity, not even when he kicked one of the hard walls. The stupid boy had probably hurt himself more than the wall. However, when he proceeded to throw a punch at Alby's bed, she jumped in.

"Woah there!" She quickly grabbed his arm to stop him from doing more damage and glared furiously at him. "I haven't been hours aiding him so that you can come and give him more shucking wounds. What's gotten your bloody pants in a twist?"

As if he had just realized what he had been close to do, Minho immediately retreated and sighed.

"Doesn't matter," he muttered. Then, his eyes flickered towards Alby, a silent question hidden in them.

"He's getting better," Riley informed, her gaze on the injured boy as well, and pointed at his head. "But that's going to leave a beautiful scar."

Minho nodded, and then, "Speaking of which, I heard you gave your poor head a funny greeting this morning."

Her eyes glared daggers into his soul as he laughed in her face, unfazed by the menacing stare of the girl. And it turned out to be a huge mistake, for he didn't realize she was about to attack him until it was too late. Riley ran at him full speed and jumped on him before he could dodge the sudden assault.

"Careful there, Rachel. You don't want to hit something else," warned Minho as he tried to get the girl off of him. "I don't think your head can take more blows–ow! Riley, stop–shuck! Stop shucking kicking me, you mad wom –" he stopped mid-sentence, his arms still by his sides as he realized something. Then, "Did you just bit me?!"

"You deserved it," was her casual response.

"I suddenly respect Newt more," he admitted while ignoring the grunt of aggravation coming from the female who wouldn't get off of his back. "So, you like it rough?"

"Minho!"

The runner laughed his head off, but let out another pained yelp when she head-butted him. Fortunately, the action seemed to surprise both friends, for she loosened her grip on his shoulders and stumbled down towards the unwelcoming ground. Minho turned around and was greeted with yet another amusing sight. The clumsy girl was sprawled across the floor, a hand pressed against her forehead and a pained grimace on her face.

Minho couldn't help it; he smirked.

"I told you it wouldn't take more damage, slinthead."

Suddenly, and instantly catching their attention, Alby stirred. The Gladers exchanged a quick glance before Riley stood up, with Minho's help. Still feeling uneasy due to the hit, she approached the boy and placed a hand over his arm.

"Alby?" she called softly.

He moaned in evident discomfort but, to her delight, his eyes fluttered open. For some seconds, he seemed to be in trance, looking around with a dazed expression. Then, he shifted on the bed and turned his head to look at the girl next to him.

"Riley," he began, his voice hoarse.

Riley's smile was erased from her face when the boy spoke his next words.

"I pity you."

* * *

**EDITED: 10/07/2016**


	12. The End where I begin

**IMPORTANT NOTE:** I can't believe this has come to an end, finally. It's taken me so long, but I'm content with what I've achieved, so I only hope that you have liked this story as much as I have enjoyed writing it. I want to thank each and every one of you who have supported me till the very end; I know it wouldn't have been the same without your kind, helpful words. Now, this is the epilogue to this story, BUT there's yet so much to come! As some of you know, I've already published the first two chapters of my **prequel, _Bloody Maze_** (which will allow you to take a deeper look at Newt and Riley's relationship during the first days in the Glade), and I don't think it will be more than 5 chapters. So, as soon as I'm done with it, I'll start the **sequel** to this story! It's very important to real the prequel in order to understand the events that are going to happen in the sequel, really.

**CHAPTER TWELVE/EPILOGUE:**

The End Where I Begin

_"Sometimes we've no choice but to_

_walk away."_

* * *

Her mouth opened and closed, the same way a fish out of water tried to grasp a breath of life. No words came out, and the girl merely kept staring at the injured Glader, confusion dancing in her green eyes.

"_I can't say_," had been Alby's response when she had asked about the meaning of his strange words.

The fact that he seemed to know something about her, something she was unaware of, irked her to no end. Why, of all the things he could have said –even a simple, emotionless _hello_ would have done–, he had spoken those words. Truthfully, they hadn't been the reason why she had immediately felt uneasy; instead, it had been the exhausted, gloomy tone his voice had acquired. Not only that though, but the sympathy his dark orbs glowed with as well. Anyone who had been in the Glade long enough would have instantly become disturbed by it –as Rachel had–, for he was known to be like a wall of iron; strong and impassive. But, at the same time, anyone who had been living with the girl for more than two days would know not to mess with her, for when something struck in her mind, she wouldn't stop until she received the proper answers.

Thus why, it was not unexpected when Riley grabbed the boy by the front of his shirt and pulled him towards her face hastily.

"Are you mocking me? If you have a bloody problem, you'd better open that klunk of a mouth and speak," she spat.

"You are the problem, don't you get it?!" Alby shouted, and his vein popped for a second. "If only you hadn't gone against them, if only you hadn't been so selfish!"

Before any of them could jump on one another, Riley was grabbed from behind and dragged away from the enraged Glader.

"Minho, I'm going to give you two seconds to drop me," she hissed, her voice low and menacing.

However, Minho had never been one to get scared by her threats –not like most of the Gladers–, and her words only managed to make his grip tighten around her frame. Growling in utter annoyance and wrath, Riley began to trash against him, which earned her occasional grunts whenever her legs reached to hit him.

"He's jacked, Riley. He's just baffling," he reasoned, prey to frustration, as he quickly turned his head to avoid her elbow. "Seriously, I'm starting to grow shucking tired of dealing with your attitude,"

"And so am I."

The trashing stopped as their attention was caught by the boy –whose blond hair was tousled in every direction and cream-colored skin was tainted in dirt and dried blood– who stood by the open door. His arms were crossed over his chest, which sunk as Newt heaved a sigh. His features were furrowed, contorted into his usual expression of frustration, and he locked his eyes towards Riley for a quick second before drifting them to Alby. Then, the slightest of the smiles stretched on his lips.

"Glad to see you're awake," he said before glancing at Minho. "I'm not even going to bother asking about the reason why she's mad again."

Green met brown, and Newt could see the hurt flaring in her gaze before it melted into cold. She stared at him in disdain; so hostile her eyes were as they surveyed him that he froze in the spot. Without sparing any of them another glance, Riley broke out from Minho's grip and walked out with determined steps. The door slammed shut by the force of the swing, leaving behind a room filled with tension and shock.

Newt and Minho exchanged bewildered glances, as if striking up a silent conversation, a trail of questions that couldn't be answered. Finally, it was the runner the one to break the uncomfortable silence; he sauntered to one of the vacant beds, sat down on its sheets and huffed.

"She's been acting a bit off lately," he commented, arms crossed over his toned chest. "Flipping out like this isn't like her, but ever since she came back she seems to be going shucking jacked."

Newt mulled his words over before nodding slightly, "She's not her usual self."

"I mean, she's always been shucking difficult to deal with; we all got that clear," Minho continued, frowning deeply. "She gave me a beautiful black eye on the first day, which took _almost_ a month to fade."

"Wrong; I remember seeing your face still a bit roughed up when I came," reminded Newt.

The runner rolled his eyes in apathy.

"What I'm trying to say is that she never went on rampage without having a shucking good reason," he said.

"Yeah, bloody sure you gave her a valid enough excuse."

"Are you interrupting me on purpose?" Minho glared at him, evidently not in the mood to discuss his past with Riley.

But Newt merely shrugged and said, "Just pointing out you never told me what pushed her to punch you."

"He walked in on her when she was peeing, and then complimented her for _peeing in such a feminine way_," Alby suddenly said, effectively grabbing their attention, as he pushed himself up into a sitting position.

Newt pursed his lips into a thin line and looked at everywhere but Minho, who didn't take long to catch sight of the look on his face. Consequently, a blank expression crossed his features as he stared at Newt.

"Laugh; I know you're _dying_ to do it," he said calmly, not really faced by the chuckles that escaped Newt seconds after. "And if you both are done with this pointless conversation, why don't we try to come to a shucking conclusion regarding Riley?"

Alby crossed his arms over his chest in a defensive stance, "Why should we?"

However, the Gladers knew better than to listen to Alby; especially after his incident in the Maze, where he had been stung by a Griever. Ever since the day he had woken up, he hadn't been the same; he wasn't the boy that had led them through so much with his controlled, calm attitude. In some ways, he reminded them to Riley; his mood swings and hot-temperament were too similar to hers.

In the end, Minho rolled his eyes; the Glader was exasperated, to say the least.

"Right. Something is definitely going on in her head, but what are we supposed to do about it? She's bloody stubborn and won't let us sooth her," Newt pointed out.

"That should be an understatement, considering what she's gone through," Alby added. "But she's getting what she deserves for going against them."

That seemed to attract their attention, and Newt looked at Minho quickly before approaching the injured boy. His dark eyes were shadowed by a glint of indifference, yet his lips were pursed into a thoughtful frown as he bent over his knees to stare at something on the ground. As expected though, one side-way glance at the suddenly interesting spot on the floor was enough for Newt to know that there was nothing there; only dirt and the remains of dried blood soaked the wood at their feet. But Alby kept staring at it as though there was nothing more intriguing in the world at that moment, not blinking once to refresh his tired eyes.

Newt bent down next to him, placed a hand on his knees and titled his head in contemplation.

"Why do I get the feeling you know something we don't?" he asked lowly. But his friend said nothing, not even acknowledged his presence as he ran a hand through his head. Newt pressed, "Alby, what do you know?"

With what seemed to be a defeated sigh, Alby turned his head to look at his good friend, the one who had always defended each and every one of his decisions; the one who had been always by his side. It was curious how he repentantly missed their first days in the Glade; those hadn't been happy moments, for devastation had been a main feeling in their scared hearts, but they had been beautiful nonetheless. Whenever something threatened to destroy them, Alby had recurred to Newt in search of a helping hand, and the Glader had proved to be a loyal, sensible friend. Evidently, Alby couldn't deny the fact that so many people had abandoned their company, preys to the dangers hidden in the Maze and the fright beating constantly in their hearts. But, together, they –the Gladers– had been able to overcome that pain and kept on living the poor excuses of lives _given_ to them.

Everything had changed in a too small period of time, thus dragging them into a whirl of constant panic and confusion. Alby had been stung, Gally had given his life for their sake, and Thomas continued asking questions about every minimal detail.

Alby closed his eyes tightly, as if he were trying to get rid of something that kept bothering his mind. His voice was broken when he whispered the following words, "I've _seen_ terrible things, things that won't ever disappear."

"What do you mean, Alby?" Newt asked, evident suspicion shining in his brown gaze as he observed him.

"My memories came back when I got stung," he explained. "There are so many dispersed images in my mind, like a puzzle. But there's something I know… something about Riley."

"What about her? Better yet," Minho cut in, annoyed for some reason. "Why do you want her to be kept in the dark? I'm sure she's the one who wants to know more about it, considering it regards _her_."

But Alby shook his head slowly.

"Because I wouldn't want to know if I were her."

Minho straightened at that, his shoulders tensed and his eyes scanned the boy's furrowed features. Much to his annoyance, the Glader didn't spare him a glance; he seemed to be in trance once again. Unable to hide his exasperation, Minho let out a huff and locked eyes with the other person in the room who had remained silent after Alby's revelation. Newt gave him a short shake of his head, as if telling him not to get so worked up and let him handle the situation.

"Alby," he called for his attention again, his voice still soft and calm. "Tell us what you know."

-#-

Meanwhile, in what seemed to be a completely different world, two men strode down a narrowed, white corridor. Neither man nor woman greeted their sight as their feet clacked on the slippery floor; it was a restricted area, the one both men roamed. Evidently, they had to be important –prestigious even– characters if they had passed through the many hurdles that stood separating the general area from that one. And, sure enough, identical cards that identified them as high-ranked officials hung from the small pockets in their white gowns.

Their features held no emotion, as did their cold eyes, while they stared straight ahead. Intense silence accompanied them during the entire trip, only shattered when the men arrived to their destination. Dr. Norman pushed the door open without a second thought before slipping quietly into the room; not bothering to spare a glance over his shoulder to make sure his companion followed him inside. As he approached the monitors located in the farthest corner of the room, he received some strange glances from the few scientists scattered around. As expected, the man paid them no mind and finally stopped in front of one big screen, which showed nothing but an impenetrable darkness, aside from the faces of both _doctors_ reflected on it.

Dr. Norman turned his head to the left and searched with his grey eyes for the right monitor, only to approach it when they fell upon the wanted one. His fingers touched lightly the smaller item, tapped it twice and dragged the image to the bigger screen in a swift movement.

"What are we doing, exactly?" a voice asked from behind, a voice that belonged to the man whose presence Dr. Norman had requested.

Dr. Norman merely smirked evilly; other than that, he remained silent. His grey eyes observed the scene that unfolded itself in the screen, his face contorted into an expression of meditation.

_Her hair, red as blood, fell in curtains over her face as her fingers dug into the messy locks. She held her head in both hands, her knuckles white due to the pressure she was putting on it._

"She's reaching her limit," Dr. Wilson observed, crossing his arms over his chest as he gave the man a suspicious look.

_Slowly, her head lifted towards the dull sky that spread above the artificial place. Her hair moved along with the movement, falling back to reveal her dirty features. Her eyes, always of a bright shade of green, had darkened considerably, and her contracted pupils gave away the mental strain she was battling against. _

"Indeed," Dr. Norman muttered, his eyes still fixed on the girl as she stood from the fallen branch she had been sitting on for long minutes. "Give me details on her condition."

Dr. Wilson quickly walked over to another monitor, one that registered the health of every Glader. He worked on it for some seconds, swiftly tapping on the screen and looking for what Dr. Norman had asked for.

"Everything seems to be in ord–" he stopped mid-sentence, effectively drawing Dr. Norman's attention to him.

"What?"

Dr. Alan Wilson frowned.

"Her brain…," he spoke so lowly his words were almost not heard.

"What about it?" Dr. Norman was quickly starting to grow annoyed at his attitude.

"There are some perceptible damages on the left hemisphere; not significant enough to worry about her, but I can only imagine how this is going to affect her mental state of health," he informed, reading the scanner with scrutinizing eyes. "I dare say it's already affecting her reasoning."

The smirk that spread across Dr. Norman's lips went unnoticed, as Alan was still focused on his previous task. He glanced at the big screen once again and was greeted with a curious sight, one that caused him to approach it to get a better look.

_"I thought you, of all people, would understand," the girl was saying, her voice so broken and low he almost didn't hear her. "After pouring my fears and thoughts to you, you couldn't even give me what I desperately needed. Did you think that keeping this from me would make me forget about it, feel better even?" _

_The boy stared intently at her, absorbing her words as she spoke. His features gave nothing away, but the way his eyes glazed ever so slightly was enough for her to know he was hurting. However, he was not as much as she was._

_"You shouldn't have been listening in," he sighed, finally dropping his tense stance._

_The collar of his shirt was caught in her strong grip before he was pulled towards her angry face. The look gleaming in her gaze was very different to the one dancing in his; it blazed with fury, vexation and incredulity. _

_"You should have come to me right after your little meeting with Alby and Minho," she snarled. "I told you how scared I was, how _afflicted_ I was; I knew something was –is– happening to me, but I didn't know what. That anxiety was eating at me!" _

_"Riley…"_

_"No!" She pushed him back, but didn't take her eyes off him. "You know the worst part? I had faith in you; I believed that you'd speak truthfully if I asked you about it." She took a deep breath then, in order to calm herself and not go on rampage like she had done before. "But you didn't; you lied to my face."_

_He took a step forward and winced when she took one backwards. She didn't want him to soothe her; that much was evident._

_"Knowing that you had been experimented on, that you had been controlled since the very beginning; it would have broken you," he said._

_The girl laughed sarcastically, throwing her head back while doing so._

_"Tell me, Newt, do I look broken to you?" The bitterness in her voice didn't go unnoticed, as didn't the hatred that permeated it. "I'm enraged, confused and hurt; but not broken. I thought you understood me, that you knew me better than that. But it's like you don't even care."_

_"I do," he insisted and took another step towards her._

_A sad smile touched her face._

_"I'm not so sure anymore," she whispered, her voice finally breaking. "I should have listened to my own advice; there is no place for feelings in a world like this."_

The beetle blade that carried the camera followed her as the girl began to walk again. Dr. Norman watched silently, and his grey eyes glanced at the broken expression on the boy's face before looking at the similar one plastered on the girl's features.

"It's time," the authoritative voice of Ava Paige echoed in the room, immediately bringing Dr. Norman back to reality. She stood next to Dr. Wilson, seemingly scanning the monitor with scrutinizing eyes, before her lips parted, and she ordered, "Bring her back."

-#-

It didn't take Riley for surprise when her mind stopped working and her feet began to move forward on their own accord, leading her to the awaiting Maze. She could only hope for her distress to fade before it became permanent.

Little did she know, things were _just _getting started.

* * *

PREQUEL: _Bloody Maze_

SEQUEL: _Bloody Trials_ (to be published)

**EDITED: 10/07/2016**


End file.
